Emotional outcomes are poorer in adults with developmental coordination disorder: A systematic review and...

Evidence of the relationship between emotional problems and developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in adulthood remains scarce. The aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare emotional outcomes in adults with and without DCD, controlling for outcome type, age and method of DCD identification.

Emotional outcomes were categorised into five categories: (i) anxiety; (ii) depression; (iv) psychological domain of quality of life; (v) stress, and (vi) subjective wellbeing. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) assessed study quality. Cluster robust variance meta-analyses estimated a pooled standardized mean difference in emotional problems between adults with and without DCD. Subgroup analyses determined if effect sizes differed between outcome types, age groups and the method of DCD identification.

From 5025 retrieved articles, 12 met the inclusion criteria. From these articles, 1890 participants (1025 with DCD and 865 with TD), aged 18-66 years, were included in the meta-analysis. No studies were classified as high quality, though most were of moderate quality (8/12). Adults with DCD reported significantly more emotional symptoms (SMD = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.51, 1.07) than their peers. Large effects sizes were maintained after excluding low quality studies and controlling for age, outcomes, and DCD identification method.

This review highlights the burden of emotional outcomes problems in adults with DCD and may support the identification of the condition in adulthood, as high levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, along with low psychological quality of life and self-esteem, are key features associated with the condition in this population.