Development of structural equations of social adjustment of students with Specific Learning Disorder based on alexithymia and metacognition beliefs and mediated by perceived social support

The present study was conducted to develop structural equations of social adjustment of students with specific learning disorders based on alexithymia and metacognitive beliefs and mediated by perceived social support.

In this descriptive and correlational study, 210 subjects were selected as a purposeful sample from all male and female students aged 10 to 14 years with specific learning disorders in Tabriz in 2019- 2020. Bell Social Adjustment Inventory, Wells Metacognitions Beliefs Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and Zimet et al, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis and structural equations by Lisrel 8.8 software.

The results showed that alexithymia and metacognitive beliefs have a negative and significant effect and perceived social support has a positive and significant effect on social adjustment. Alexithymia and metacognitive beliefs, in addition to having a direct effect, also indirectly affect the social adjustment of students with specific learning disorders through the mediation of perceived social support, according to the value of VAF statistics, it was observed that 31.5% of the effect of alexithymia on social adjustment, 20.9% of the effect of metacognitive beliefs on social adjustment can be explained through perceived social support.

According to the consequences of learning disability and its widespread effects on the process of individual and social life, it is suggested that programs be implemented to promote appropriate emotions and metacognitive beliefs and to expand social support among students with learning disabilities.