Anxiety and Its Relationship With Learning Disorders in Childhood: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Reading and writing/learning disorders have a general impact on children, mainly in terms of mental health; in speech therapy clinical routine, the best known impact is revealed in the form of symptoms that can be associated with anxiety – on the part of clinical subjects; however, there are no evaluations that support the association. Objective: To verify in the national (Brazilian) and international scientific production if there is evidence that indicates the relationship between anxiety and reading and writing and/or learning disorders in children. Methods: a virtual search was carried out in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) database, in national and international databases, SCIELO, LILACS and MEDLINE using the following descriptors and their combinations: learning, anxiety, childhood. Results: 325 articles were found, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 8 articles were selected. Conclusions: It was found that the evidence found indicates/proves the relationship between anxiety and learning disorders in children as secondary to another health condition. Even so, studies have shown a high level of anxiety in children with reading and writing and/or learning disorders, even when this was mentioned only as one of the symptoms.