Exploring the Impact of Adherence to 24-h Movement Guidelines on Psychological Health and Academic Engagement in Children and Adolescents with Speech/Language Impairment

The significance of the 24-h movement guidelines (24-HMG) for the health of typically developing children and adolescents has gained considerable attention in recent years. However, there has been limited research on the impact of adhering to 24-HMG among children and adolescents with speech/language impairments. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between adherence to 24-HMG and psychological health and academic engagement in this population.

This cross-sectional study involved a secondary analysis of data from 1609 students aged 6–17 years with speech/language impairment. Self-report questionnaires were employed to measure the movement behaviours, psychological indicators, and academic engagement. Multivariable regressions were used to analyze the associations between adherence to 24-HMG and psychological health and academic engagement.

The findings revealed that merely 10.82% of participants adhered to all three 24-HMG. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that, compared to meeting none of the recommendations, meeting all the three recommendations was significantly associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and cognitive difficulties, higher psychological resilience and increased academic engagement.

The findings underscore that adherence to the 24-HMG is associated with enhanced psychological health and academic engagement among children and adolescents with speech/language impairments.