ABSTRACT

Anxiety and stress can both be particular challenges for people who have learning disabilities. Stress is caused by more of an external trigger and is relatively short lived. Anxiety is prolonged and can be characterized by excessive worries. This study explored how stress and anxiety play a role in people who have a learning disability. Participants were invited to take an online survey that asked if they have a learning disability, how they cope with anxiety, and ways to manage anxiety and stress. There were 28% of respondents that indicated that they have a learning disability. The analysis showed a significant positive correlation between a diagnosis of learning disability and levels of stress on the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. Test anxiety and writing papers were higher at 66.7% and 38.1% respectively in this study. There was a significant number of people that indicated that they woke up in the morning feeling stressed: 60% of respondents wake up in the morning feeling stressed and 36% do not. There were 50% of respondents with a moderate average stress level, 7.7% with a high stress level, and 15.4% with a very high stress level, with the remaining 23.1% with a low average level. Applicants had different ways to de-stress. The two ways that people de-stressed the most was watching television and doing their own hobbies: 80.8% of the applicants indicated that they de-stressed by watching television and 65.4% put hobbies as their methods of de-stressing. Anxiety causes stimulation in the brain and anxiety can cause someone with a learning disability to overthink and get agitated. Behavioral therapy helps when someone is going through anxiety with a learning disability.