Motor coordination problems and psychological distress in young adults: A test of the Environmental Stress Hypothesis.
Clumsy young adults get distressed because social hassles and poor self-concept pile on—so target those mediators.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Li et al. (2019) asked why clumsy young adults feel anxious or depressed.
They gave surveys to college students who said they were clumsy.
A computer model tested if social support, daily hassles, and self-concept explain the link between poor motor skills and distress.
What they found
The model fit: poor coordination raised daily hassles, cut social support, and hurt self-concept.
These three paths, not the clumsiness itself, drove later anxiety and depression.
In short, psychosocial stress is the middleman.
How this fits with other research
Gentle et al. (2024) extend the idea. They show spatial anxiety, not social support, mediates navigation problems in adults with DCD.
Kuhn et al. (2022) look younger: kids with DCD have weaker bones. No clash—Yao-Chuen studied minds, Jocelyn studied bodies, same root condition.
Andersen et al. (2023) mirror the logic in autism: teen internalizing, not autism label, predicts poor adult quality of life.
Together the papers say: treat the thoughts and feelings that grow from the disability, not just the disability.
Why it matters
When a young adult client trips or drops things, screen for low self-esteem, friend count, and daily hassles. Add social-skills coaching, self-talk training, or peer groups before distress snowballs. Target the psychosocial middlemen and you may prevent anxiety and depression without fixing every motor error.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a five-item checklist on social support, daily hassles, and self-concept to your intake for any client who mentions being clumsy.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The Environmental Stress Hypothesis (ESH) has been used to examine how the relationship between poor motor coordination and psychological distress is affected by physical health and psychosocial factors. However, work applying the ESH is still limited, and no studies have used this framework with adults. The current investigation aims to examine the association between motor coordination and psychological distress among emerging adults, and examine potential mediators to this relationship based on the ESH. METHODS: 225 young adults aged 17-23 years completed a survey of motor coordination, physical activity, secondary stressors (i.e., general stress and global relationships), perceived social support, self-concept, and psychological distress. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine mediating pathways and overall model fit. RESULTS: The final model of the ESH showed good model fit (x2 = 83.24, p < .01; RMSEA=0.056; NNFI = 0.927; CFI = 0.954; GFI = 0.947), and indicated that the relationship between poor motor coordination and psychological distress was mediated by secondary stressors, perceived social support, and self-concept. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the effect of poor motor coordination on psychological distress in young adults, and suggests that interventions should target psychosocial well-being, in addition to motor coordination, to prevent psychological distress.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2019 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.04.023