In relation to LD, the emotional and social adaptations of these children are associated with internal risk factors (e.g., hyperactivity) and external risk factors (e.g., stigma and bullying), alongside protective factors such as levels of support at home and school (Morrison and Cosden, 1997).
Therefore, children with ADHD, depression and LD are likely to experience problems because of the inherent difficulties associated with their disorders. However, these difficulties can then impact on the interactions these children have with their peers, which can result in negative attitudes and stigma, resulting in an escalation of their disorderrelated problems.
Understanding the specific processes related to differing attitudes towards different disorders may be important. Differences have been found in the attitudes displayed towards children with ADHD and depression. Children have been found to hold more negative attitudes towards those with internalising disorders (e.g., depression) than externalising disorders (e.g., ADHD) (Coleman, Walker and Junghee et al., 2009; Walker, Coleman and Lee et al., 2008). However, the nature of these differences in attitudes and how they relate to stigma are not fully understood.