View in EDS

Psychosocial Implications of Low Motor Competence in 12-Year-Old Boys and Girls: The NW-CHILD Study

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Psychosocial Implications of Low Motor Competence in 12-Year-Old Boys and Girls: The NW-CHILD Study
Language: English
Authors: Anita Elizabeth Pienaar (ORCID 0000-0002-9487-5953)
Source: Journal of Motor Learning and Development. 2026 14(1).
Availability: Human Kinetics, Inc. 1607 North Market Street, Champaign, IL 61820. Tel: 800-474-4457; Fax: 217-351-1549; e-mail: info@hkusa.com; Web site: https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jmld/jmld-overview.xml
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Psychomotor Skills, Sex, Performance Tests, Motor Development, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Physical Health, Mental Health, Psychological Patterns, Foreign Countries, Quality of Life, Comorbidity
Geographic Terms: South Africa
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency
DOI: 10.1123/jmld.2025-0044
ISSN: 2325-3193
2325-3215
Abstract: Children with an impaired ability to perform coordinated motor skills often experience problems beyond the motor domain, including secondary mental and physical health issues. However, limited research is available on whether low motor competence (LMC) increases the risk of emotional and behavioral problems and if health-related quality of life domains are differently affected by sex. A randomized and stratified by school and sex research design was employed to cross-sectionally analyze the motor competence (MC) of 12.9-year-old children (N = 581; 282 boys, 289 girls) using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition Short Form and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Analysis using Statistica for Windows (2024) confirmed significantly poorer physical health (p < 0.01, d = 0.35), psychosocial health (p < 0.01, d = 0.30), and summary health-related quality of life scores (p < 0.01, d = 0.18) in LMC children (n = 104, 17.9%) compared with typical development children (n = 471, 81%). Significant differences (p < 0.05, d > 0.2) emerged between boys and girls with LMC and typical development particularly in the physical health of girls with LMC (p < 0.001, d = 0.50), highlighting vulnerability to mental problems in LMC girls. Girls with LMC also had lower, although nonsignificant, physical health (p < 0.09, d = 0.34), psychosocial summary, and overall health-related quality of life scores (p > 0.05) than LMC boys. These findings accentuate negative influences on the quality of life of boys and girls with impaired MC, which warrants public awareness, and educational and health attention.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1508793
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1508793
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Psychosocial Implications of Low Motor Competence in 12-Year-Old Boys and Girls: The NW-CHILD Study
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Anita+Elizabeth+Pienaar%22&quot;&gt;Anita Elizabeth Pienaar&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9487-5953&quot;&gt;0000-0002-9487-5953&lt;/externalLink&gt;)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;SO&quot; term=&quot;%22Journal+of+Motor+Learning+and+Development%22&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Journal of Motor Learning and Development&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/searchLink&gt;. 2026 14(1).
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Human Kinetics, Inc. 1607 North Market Street, Champaign, IL 61820. Tel: 800-474-4457; Fax: 217-351-1549; e-mail: info@hkusa.com; Web site: https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jmld/jmld-overview.xml
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 11
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles&lt;br /&gt;Reports - Research
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Psychomotor+Skills%22&quot;&gt;Psychomotor Skills&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Sex%22&quot;&gt;Sex&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Performance+Tests%22&quot;&gt;Performance Tests&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Motor+Development%22&quot;&gt;Motor Development&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Neurodevelopmental+Disorders%22&quot;&gt;Neurodevelopmental Disorders&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Physical+Health%22&quot;&gt;Physical Health&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Mental+Health%22&quot;&gt;Mental Health&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Psychological+Patterns%22&quot;&gt;Psychological Patterns&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Foreign+Countries%22&quot;&gt;Foreign Countries&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Quality+of+Life%22&quot;&gt;Quality of Life&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Comorbidity%22&quot;&gt;Comorbidity&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22South+Africa%22&quot;&gt;South Africa&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: SubjectThesaurus
  Label: Assessment and Survey Identifiers
  Group: Su
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;SU&quot; term=&quot;%22Bruininks+Oseretsky+Test+of+Motor+Proficiency%22&quot;&gt;Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1123/jmld.2025-0044
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 2325-3193&lt;br /&gt;2325-3215
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Children with an impaired ability to perform coordinated motor skills often experience problems beyond the motor domain, including secondary mental and physical health issues. However, limited research is available on whether low motor competence (LMC) increases the risk of emotional and behavioral problems and if health-related quality of life domains are differently affected by sex. A randomized and stratified by school and sex research design was employed to cross-sectionally analyze the motor competence (MC) of 12.9-year-old children (N = 581; 282 boys, 289 girls) using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition Short Form and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Analysis using Statistica for Windows (2024) confirmed significantly poorer physical health (p &lt; 0.01, d = 0.35), psychosocial health (p &lt; 0.01, d = 0.30), and summary health-related quality of life scores (p &lt; 0.01, d = 0.18) in LMC children (n = 104, 17.9%) compared with typical development children (n = 471, 81%). Significant differences (p &lt; 0.05, d &gt; 0.2) emerged between boys and girls with LMC and typical development particularly in the physical health of girls with LMC (p &lt; 0.001, d = 0.50), highlighting vulnerability to mental problems in LMC girls. Girls with LMC also had lower, although nonsignificant, physical health (p &lt; 0.09, d = 0.34), psychosocial summary, and overall health-related quality of life scores (p &gt; 0.05) than LMC boys. These findings accentuate negative influences on the quality of life of boys and girls with impaired MC, which warrants public awareness, and educational and health attention.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1508793
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1508793
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1123/jmld.2025-0044
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Psychomotor Skills
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Performance Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Motor Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Neurodevelopmental Disorders
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Physical Health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental Health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological Patterns
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Quality of Life
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Comorbidity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: South Africa
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Psychosocial Implications of Low Motor Competence in 12-Year-Old Boys and Girls: The NW-CHILD Study
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Anita Elizabeth Pienaar
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 2325-3193
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 2325-3215
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 14
            – Type: issue
              Value: 1
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Motor Learning and Development
              Type: main
ResultId 1