Bio-psycho-social factors and participation in adults with developmental coordination disorder: A structural equation modeling analysis

Young adults with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) face daily challenges beyond movement difficulties. This cross-sectional study looked at how DCD affects high-level cognitive skills (executive function), self-esteem, and social support, and how these factors impact everyday activities. A cross-sectional study is one that analyzes data from a population at a specific point in time. We employed a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, which is a diverse set of methods used by scientists for both observational and experimental research. SEM involves a model representing how various aspects of some phenomenon are thought to causally connect to one another.

We compared 55 young adults with DCD to 66 peers without DCD. Those with DCD had more difficulties with high-level cognitive skills, lower self-esteem, and less social support. These challenges made daily activities harder, including a greater need for help, lower performance, and less enjoyment. Self-esteem and social support affected all areas of everyday activities, while high-level cognitive skills mainly influenced task performance. Even though only about one-third of those with DCD had a clear deficit in high-level cognitive skills, they had a strong impact on performance in everyday activities.