Sense of Relatedness (Resiliency), Perceived Relationships with Parents and Teachers and Depression in students with and without Special Educational Needs (SEN)

The present study aimed to explore the complex interactions between the Interpersonal Competence -Sense of Relatedness- which is a specific dimension of resiliency, perceived relationship quality (with both parents and teachers), and depressive symptomatology, in children and preadolescents with and without Special Educational Needs (SEN). The study sample of 465 Greek elementary school and Junior High school students (age range 10–14) and their primary teachers, randomly selected from public schools in three prefectures of Crete, with160 of them facing SEN. Participants were administered: (a) Sense of Relatedness Scale of the Resiliency Scales for Children & Adolescents (RSCA) (b) Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire - Short Form (Child PARQ mother & father) (c) Teacher Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (TARQ) (d) Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and e) Teacher’s Assessment Questionnaire (TEACH) for students’ school functioning and behavioural/emotional screening. Multiple Regression Exploratory Analyses, Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA), and Path Analyses were conducted. Results highlighted the impact of the perceived relationship quality with the father, which appeared as more important than the mother’s impact on students’ depressive affect. Additionally, depressive symptoms of students with SEN were associated with perceived acceptance/rejection by both parents and teachers as compared with those without SEN. Results were discussed in terms of the need for prevention and intervention programs focusing on children’s resiliency as well as in valuing and encouraging fatherhood. The aim of the present study was to explore the complex interactions between perceived relationship quality (with fathers, mothers and teachers), through perceptions of Acceptance/Rejection, Sense of Relatedness as dimension of Resiliency and depression symptomatology in students with and without Special Educational Needs (SEN). For students without SEN, the father-child relationship was associated with depression symptoms, as well as to all Interpersonal Competence Resiliency factors. For students with SEN the pathways leading to depression symptoms were from perceived rejection from the father, mother and the teacher, mediated by Resiliency dimensions (of Trust and Support).