Poor Readers Show Higher Risk of Suicide, Dropout

Adolescents with reading problems are more likely to drop out of school and to consider suicide, a Wake Forest University Study shows.

Researchers tracked 188 high school students for three years. They found that 25 percent of students testing in the lowest 18 percent of readers had contemplated suicide, while only 9 percent of typical readers had. Additionally, 30 percent of these students dropped out of school, compared to just 5 percent of their peers.

While researchers note that psychiatric disorders may add to these risks, poor reading ability was found to be an independent risk factor.

Also noted was a study of 50 poor readers tracked for 25 years. Four of these individuals died by suicide, a far greater percentage than in the general population.

Results are published in the November issue of the Journal of Learning Disabilities.

Read more: Poor readers have higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior