It has been know for some time that children and adolescents with poor reading skills face a variety of challenges in their lives, and may be at risk for emotional and behavioral problems. In some cases, behavioral or emotional problems may be triggered by the stress of difficulties in school, or they may be a contributing factor to poor achievement in school or to learning difficulties.

A recent study conducted by a team at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center reports upon the influence of reading ability on suicide risk. Suicide is an issue of growing concern in children and adolescents groups and researchers are trying to learn more about the risk factors.

The research tem screened a group of over 1,000 participating students and, and compared a group of poor readers and average readers. Those with poor reading skills proved to be more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and attempts as well as school dropout. Further research showed that reading problems were a risk factor for suicidal behavior, regardless of whether there was a history of psychiatric problems, such as depression.

Long term studies conducted over 25 years, by the same research team, revealed that students with reading problems tended to have a higher rate of suicide.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 3 Nov 2006
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.