Tell Me a Story: Socio-Emotional Functioning, Well-Being and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents With Specific Learning Disabilities
Although Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) are described as specific difficulties in one or more academic areas, often socio-emotional problems are also reported to be related to well-being and school engagement. Moreover, recent evidence shows that emotional problems and reduced social support p...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02369/full |
| _version_ | 1818304484968759296 |
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| author | Daniela Sarti Roberta Bettoni Roberta Bettoni Ilaria Offredi Marta Tironi Elisabetta Lombardi Daniela Traficante Maria Luisa Lorusso |
| author_facet | Daniela Sarti Roberta Bettoni Roberta Bettoni Ilaria Offredi Marta Tironi Elisabetta Lombardi Daniela Traficante Maria Luisa Lorusso |
| author_sort | Daniela Sarti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) are described as specific difficulties in one or more academic areas, often socio-emotional problems are also reported to be related to well-being and school engagement. Moreover, recent evidence shows that emotional problems and reduced social support predict problematic use of new technologies, such as a smartphone, that can, in turn, increase these problems. In this study, we aimed to investigate socio-emotional functioning and its relation to well-being, school engagement, and problematic smartphone use. Social and emotional skills of 19 adolescents with a diagnosis of SLD and 19 control adolescents were assessed through a narrative test; adolescents were requested to narrate complete stories elicited by pictures representing social situations. Information on well-being and problematic smartphone use were collected through questionnaires. The comparison between groups showed differences in cognitive-social skills, although no significant differences in emotional functioning were found. Additionally, the perception of the social environment as supportive and trustworthy was related to general well-being for both groups, whereas the perception of limits and rules set by the adult world appeared to be related to a decreased investment in learning processes only for the SLD students. Finally, correlation analysis showed that smartphone use was associated with reduced perception of social support and to a decreased ability to understand and solve social situations. These results assert the critical role played by social information processing and social support in terms of well-being in adolescence, and contribute to enhancing knowledge of the mechanisms underlying problematic smartphone use in a clinical sample. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T06:11:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d2ef39910c254e37a5fc8a2da99e62ce |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T06:11:26Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-d2ef39910c254e37a5fc8a2da99e62ce2022-12-21T23:57:04ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782019-11-011010.3389/fpsyg.2019.02369482087Tell Me a Story: Socio-Emotional Functioning, Well-Being and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents With Specific Learning DisabilitiesDaniela Sarti0Roberta Bettoni1Roberta Bettoni2Ilaria Offredi3Marta Tironi4Elisabetta Lombardi5Daniela Traficante6Maria Luisa Lorusso7Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, ItalyFondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, ItalyFondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, ItalyIstituto IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Lecco, ItalyAlthough Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) are described as specific difficulties in one or more academic areas, often socio-emotional problems are also reported to be related to well-being and school engagement. Moreover, recent evidence shows that emotional problems and reduced social support predict problematic use of new technologies, such as a smartphone, that can, in turn, increase these problems. In this study, we aimed to investigate socio-emotional functioning and its relation to well-being, school engagement, and problematic smartphone use. Social and emotional skills of 19 adolescents with a diagnosis of SLD and 19 control adolescents were assessed through a narrative test; adolescents were requested to narrate complete stories elicited by pictures representing social situations. Information on well-being and problematic smartphone use were collected through questionnaires. The comparison between groups showed differences in cognitive-social skills, although no significant differences in emotional functioning were found. Additionally, the perception of the social environment as supportive and trustworthy was related to general well-being for both groups, whereas the perception of limits and rules set by the adult world appeared to be related to a decreased investment in learning processes only for the SLD students. Finally, correlation analysis showed that smartphone use was associated with reduced perception of social support and to a decreased ability to understand and solve social situations. These results assert the critical role played by social information processing and social support in terms of well-being in adolescence, and contribute to enhancing knowledge of the mechanisms underlying problematic smartphone use in a clinical sample.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02369/fullsocio-emotional functioningwell-beingsmartphone addictionSLDadolescencenarratives |
| spellingShingle | Daniela Sarti Roberta Bettoni Roberta Bettoni Ilaria Offredi Marta Tironi Elisabetta Lombardi Daniela Traficante Maria Luisa Lorusso Tell Me a Story: Socio-Emotional Functioning, Well-Being and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents With Specific Learning Disabilities Frontiers in Psychology socio-emotional functioning well-being smartphone addiction SLD adolescence narratives |
| title | Tell Me a Story: Socio-Emotional Functioning, Well-Being and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents With Specific Learning Disabilities |
| title_full | Tell Me a Story: Socio-Emotional Functioning, Well-Being and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents With Specific Learning Disabilities |
| title_fullStr | Tell Me a Story: Socio-Emotional Functioning, Well-Being and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents With Specific Learning Disabilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tell Me a Story: Socio-Emotional Functioning, Well-Being and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents With Specific Learning Disabilities |
| title_short | Tell Me a Story: Socio-Emotional Functioning, Well-Being and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents With Specific Learning Disabilities |
| title_sort | tell me a story socio emotional functioning well being and problematic smartphone use in adolescents with specific learning disabilities |
| topic | socio-emotional functioning well-being smartphone addiction SLD adolescence narratives |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02369/full |
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