Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Feb 28;12(3):314.
doi: 10.3390/children12030314.

Exploring the Link Between Special Educational Needs and Mental Health of Schoolchildren and Their Parents

Juan Manuel Núñez  1 , Marián Pérez-Marín  2 , Ana Soto-Rubio  3
Affiliations

Exploring the Link Between Special Educational Needs and Mental Health of Schoolchildren and Their Parents

Juan Manuel Núñez et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Background/objectives: The relationship between executive functions, special educational needs (SEN), and psychopathology in school-aged children is critical to the design of effective educational and therapeutic interventions. This study examines the connection between executive functions, SEN, schoolchildren's psychopathology, and parental mental health. The objectives were to describe the psychopathological profiles of schoolchildren, to analyze the psychopathological differences between students with and without SEN, and to know the mental health status of parents of children with SEN.

Methods: A total of 123 schoolchildren with and without SEN, together with their parents, participated in the study. Validated instruments were used to assess executive functions and child psychopathology, and an ad hoc register was used to assess parental mental health. In addition, sociodemographic and clinical data were collected.

Results: The results revealed that children with SEN showed a significantly more affected psychopathological profile compared to their peers without SEN in all areas assessed. In addition, parents of children with SEN reported higher levels of emotional overburden (r = 0.39, p < 0.01). Deficits in executive functions, such as inhibition (r = 0.41, p < 0.01), working memory (r = 0.37, p < 0.01), and cognitive flexibility (r = 0.33, p < 0.05), were also found to be related to greater psychopathological problems in children.

Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of considering both executive functions and psychopathological profiles in designing educational and therapeutic interventions for children with SEN. It is recommended that intervention programs should comprehensively address the educational and emotional needs of children, as well as the well-being of their parents, with a specific focus on improving executive functions and reducing psychopathological disorders.

Keywords: child psychopathology; executive functions; infant psychopathology; parental mental health; special educational needs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. UNICEF . The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind. UNICEF; New York, NY, USA: 2021. [(accessed on 15 December 2024)]. Available online: https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2021.
    1. Achenbach T.M., Edelbrock C.S. The classification of child psychopathology: A review and analysis of empirical efforts. Psychol. Bull. 1978;85:1275–1301. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.85.6.1275. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hinshaw S.P. Externalizing behavior problems and academic underachievement in childhood and adolescence: Causal relationships and underlying mechanisms. Psychol. Bull. 1992;111:127–155. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.111.1.127. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Halldorsdottir T., Fraire M.G., Drabick D.A.G., Ollendick T.H. Co-Occurring Conduct Problems and Anxiety: Implications for the Functioning and Treatment of Youth with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health. 2023;20:3405. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043405. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nock M.K., Kazdin A.E., Hiripi E., Kessler R.C. Lifetime prevalence, correlates, and persistence of oppositional defiant disorder: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. J. Child. Psychol. Psychiatry. 2007;48:703–713. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01733.x. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources