Relationship of anxiety and self-esteem with developmental coordination disorder in schoolchildren

Abstract

Low levels of competence in motor skills result in the emergence of the Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD); motor difficulties tend to negatively interfere with socio-emotional aspects and can lead to anxiety and low self-esteem. The present study analyzed the relationship between motor competence, anxiety and self-esteem. A total of 138 students participated; aged 10 to 15 years, they answered three questionnaires: the Adolescent Motor Competence Questionnaire (AMCQ), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Portuguese version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). In addition to the students, 127 parents joined in the survey by answering the Developmental Coordination Disorder – Brazil (DCDQ) questionnaire. For analysis, descriptive statistics were used; to compare groups, Student's t-test was applied, and, for correlation, Pearson's correlation test and the Chi-square test were adopted, respectively. The results indicated that the greater the perceived motor competence, the lower the anxiety levels and the higher the self-esteem levels. Thus, it is concluded that schoolchildren with suspected DCD, due to their low perceived motor competence, have higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of self-esteem, compared to students without suspected DCD.