Hande Günal OKUMUŞ, Makbule Esen ÖKSÜZOĞLU, Rahime Duygu TEMELTÜRK
Archives of Current Medical Research - 2026;7(2):455-470
Background: This study aimed to compare externalizing behaviors, parenting stress, and the quality of the parent-child relationship in children with language disorder (LD) and typically developing peers; to identify psychiatric comorbidities, and to assess predictors of parenting stress in children with LD. Methods: The study included 120 children aged 24 to 60 months and their caregiver(s). Parents completed the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF), and the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (C-PRS). Sociodemographic and clinical information was obtained through face-to-face interviews with caregiver(s). Diagnoses of LD and comorbid psychiatric disorders were based on DSM-5 criteria. Results: Children in the LD group showed delays in first words (p < 0.001) and first sentences (p < 0.001). Controlling for parental education, they had higher ABC scores (p = .001), especially Irritability (p = 0.002) and Hyperactivity (p < 0.001). CPRS scores were also elevated (p < 0.001) with greater conflict (p = 0.001), and parents reported higher PSI scores (p < 0.001), particularly in Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction (p < 0.001) and Difficult Child (p = 0.001). Conclusion: These findings suggest that LD should be conceptualized as part of a broader developmental profile with significant behavioral and parental implications, rather than solely as a language impairment. Early, multidimensional interventions targeting child externalizing problems-particularly irritability-as well as parenting stress and the parent-child relationship are essential.
