Children with dyslexia in different cultures: Investigation of anxiety and coping strategies of children with dyslexia in Indonesia and Germany

Hitherto the majority of research on anxiety and coping was undertaken on individuals with specific profiles (i.e., individuals with specific difficulties or in cross-cultural settings). However, to our knowledge, no studies have combined cross-cultural and specific difficulty settings to grant a complex analysis of this paradigm nor conducted an investigation of children to reveal the developmental trend in this phenomenon. This study investigates the anxiety profile and coping strategies of children with and without dyslexia from different cultures. A total of 124 children ranging from the age of eight to eleven from Indonesia (n=64) and Germany (n=60) were administered a coping and an anxiety scale. Around 50% of the sample were diagnosed with dyslexia and therefore were specifically asked what strategies they implemented in dealing with their difficulties in reading. Findings indicate that dyslexia and cultural factors have distinct contributions in explaining the variance of anxiety and coping strategies. Specifically, dyslexia has a significant effect on separation and generalized anxiety, while an incredible cultural effect is valid for the support-seeking coping strategy. Recommendations for future studies are also discussed.