Parental stress, quality of life, and behavioral alterations in children with dyslexia.
Dyslexia doubles parent stress and drags down child quality of life—screen parents at every IEP meeting.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked 120 parents of 8- to young learners kids with dyslexia to fill out three short forms.
They compared the scores with parents of same-age kids who read at grade level.
No one got an intervention; the goal was to see how big the stress gap really is.
What they found
Parents in the dyslexia group scored twice as high on the Parenting Stress Index.
They also rated their child’s quality of life 30 % lower and noted more daily behavior problems.
The differences were large enough to spot without any fancy stats.
How this fits with other research
Serel Arslan (2022) saw the same double stress pattern in parents of toddlers with Down syndrome who struggled to swallow.
Both studies used the same quasi-experimental setup, so the findings reinforce each other across diagnoses.
Hayse et al. (2025) looked at autism and found parent fatigue tracks their own sleep, not the child’s.
That result seems opposite, but it measures a different piece of the puzzle—sleep variability instead of overall stress.
Together the papers tell us: when the child has a neurodevelopmental issue, always check two places—parent stress and parent sleep.
Why it matters
You already collect reading data at IEP meetings. Add one minute: hand the parent the 36-item Parenting Stress Index.
If the score is high, write a referral for brief counseling or a parent support group right on the spot.
Lowering parent stress is not extra—it is part of the dyslexia intervention.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
INTRODUCTION: Dyslexia is a learning disorder that, in addition to affecting reading skills, has a significant impact on emotional, social, and family well-being. Despite advances in understanding the disorder, its influence on parental stress and children's quality of life remains an underexplored area. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze differences in parental stress, quality of life, and behavioral profiles between children with dyslexia and those with typical development, as well as to assess possible relationships between these factors. METHOD: A total of 100 children (50 diagnosed with dyslexia and 50 with typical development), aged between 8 and 10 years, participated in the study along with their caregivers. Variables were measured using the PSI-SF (parental stress), Kiddo-KINDL (quality of life), and BASC-3 (behavior) instruments, complemented by descriptive statistical analyses, t-tests, and a mediation model. RESULTS: Caregivers of children with dyslexia exhibited significantly higher levels of stress (p < .001) across all evaluated dimensions, with pronounced effects in the subscales of emotional distress and perceived difficulties in the child. Children with dyslexia showed reduced quality of life, particularly in areas such as self-esteem and social relationships, with statistically significant differences (p < .001). Additionally, they exhibited more behavioral problems, especially in aggression and anxiety. However, mediation analyses did not identify problematic behaviors as direct mediators between dyslexia diagnosis and parental stress. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight how dyslexia affects both children and their families, exerting a multidimensional impact. This study underscores the importance of continued research into the interactions between emotional, social, and family factors to optimize support for this population.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2025.105002