Associations Between Self-Reported Literacy and Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Children, Adolescents, and Older Adults

Existing studies show a reliable association between literacy and mental health problems, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms. Much of this research has been conducted with primary school-age children, with less research focusing on adolescents and older adults. The current study included a sample of children ( N = 478; M age = 10.1, SD age = 1.9), adolescents ( N = 438; M age = 15.6, SD age = 1.7), and older adults ( N = 111; M age = 68.5, SD age = 6.0) who completed measures of self-reported literacy difficulties, anxiety (reading anxiety, social anxiety, generalised anxiety, panic, separation anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms) and depressive symptoms. Analyses included partial correlations and associations compared across age groups. We found significant and moderate-to-strong correlations between literacy and reading anxiety for children (parent and self-report), adolescents (parent and self-report), and older adults. There were moderate and significant associations between literacy and social anxiety for children (self-report) and older adults, but not for adolescents. There were moderate and significant associations between literacy and depressive symptoms for children (self-report). These results show associations between literacy and reading anxiety symptoms at various life stages, including childhood, adolescence, and older adulthood, and between literacy and depressive symptoms for children – highlighting the need for pathways of care to support individuals of all ages.