Caregiver self-efficacy and reading difficulties (Davison et al., 2024)

<b>Purpose: </b>Emerging literature suggests caregiver self-efficacy is an important factor related to caregivers’ shared reading practices with their children. Reduced shared reading has been documented among families of caregiver(s) with language-based learning disabilities (LBLD). Yet, it remains unclear whether caregivers’ history of language and reading difficulties is associated with caregiver self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine whether self-efficacy in language- and reading-related caregiver activities related to caregiver history of language and reading difficulties and shared reading practices.<b>Method:</b> One hundred seventy-six caregivers of children aged 18–60 months completed a custom self-efficacy in language- and reading-related caregiver activities questionnaire, as well as demographic, history of language and reading difficulties (used both as a continuous measure and to dichotomize caregivers with and without LBLD history), and shared reading measures in a one-time survey.<b>Results:</b> Caregivers with a history of LBLD reported an overall lower self-efficacy and a reduced amount of time reading with their children per week than caregivers without LBLD history. Examining caregiver history of language and reading difficulties continuously across the whole group, self-efficacy mediated the relationship between caregiver difficulties and shared reading practices, even when caregiver education was incorporated as an additional mediator in models.<b>Conclusions:</b> Findings indicate that self-efficacy and caregiver education mediate the relationship between caregiver history of language and reading difficulties and shared reading practices. Consideration of self-efficacy by clinicians and educators is warranted when promoting shared reading practices to caregivers of young children. There is a need for future research to examine relationships between self-efficacy and shared reading among caregivers with LBLD of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.<b>Supplemental Material S1.</b> Survey items and response scoring.<b>Supplemental Material S2.</b> Bivariate associations between key variables among caregivers with a history of LBLD (<i>n</i> = 58).<b>Supplemental Material S3.</b> Bivariate associations between key variables among caregivers without a history of LBLD (<i>n</i> = 118).<b>Supplemental Material S4.</b> Caregivers of children.Davison, K. E., Ronderos, J., Gomez, S., Boucher, A. R., &amp; Zuk, J. (2024). Caregiver self-efficacy in relation to caregivers’ history of language and reading difficulties and children’s shared reading experiences. <i>Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 55</i>(3), 853–869. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_LSHSS-23-00067