Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-xtgtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T18:23:03.964Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Emotion-based preventive intervention: Effectively promoting emotion knowledge and adaptive behavior among at-risk preschoolers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2015

Kristy J. Finlon ,
Carroll E. Izard ,
Adina Seidenfeld ,
Stacy R. Johnson ,
Elizabeth Woodburn Cavadel ,
E. Stephanie Krauthamer Ewing  and
Judith K. Morgan
Kristy J. Finlon*
Affiliation:
University of Delaware
Carroll E. Izard
Affiliation:
University of Delaware
Adina Seidenfeld
Affiliation:
University of Delaware
Stacy R. Johnson
Affiliation:
University of Delaware
Elizabeth Woodburn Cavadel
Affiliation:
University of Delaware
E. Stephanie Krauthamer Ewing
Affiliation:
University of Delaware
Judith K. Morgan
Affiliation:
University of Delaware
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Kristy Sheffler, 108 Wolf Hall, Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716; E-mail: kfinlon@psych.udel.edu.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Effectiveness studies of preschool social–emotional programs are needed in low-income, diverse populations to help promote the well-being of at-risk children. Following an initial program efficacy study 2 years prior, 248 culturally diverse Head Start preschool children participated in the current effectiveness trial and received either the Emotion-Based Prevention Program (EBP) or the I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) intervention. Pre- and postdata collection included direct child assessment, teacher report, parent interview, and independent observations. Teachers implementing the EBP intervention demonstrated good and consistent fidelity to the program. Overall, children in EBP classrooms gained more emotion knowledge and displayed greater decreases in negative emotion expressions and internalizing behaviors across the implementation period as compared to children in ICPS classrooms. In addition, cumulative risk, parental depressive symptoms, and classroom climate significantly moderated treatment effects. For children experiencing more stress or less support, EBP produced more successful outcomes than did ICPS. These results provide evidence of EBP sustainability and program effectiveness, as did previous findings that demonstrated EBP improvements in emotion knowledge, regulation skills, and behavior problems replicated under unsupervised program conditions.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 27 , Issue 4pt1 , November 2015 , pp. 1353 - 1365
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2000). Manual for the ASEBA preschool forms and profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Ackerman, B. P., & Brown, E. D. (2006). Income poverty, poverty co-factors, and the adjustment of children in elementary school. In Kail, R. V. (Ed.), Advances in child development and behavior (pp. 91–129). Oxford: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Ackerman, B. P., & Brown, E. D. (2010). Physical and psychosocial turmoil in the home and cognitive development. In Evans, G. W. & Wachs, T. D. (Eds.), Chaos and its influence on children's development: An ecological perspective (pp. 35–47). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Algozzine, B., Wang, C., & Violette, A. S. (2011). Reexamining the relationship between academic achievement and social behavior. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 13, 3–16.Google Scholar
Bassett, H. H., Denham, S. Wyatt, , T. M., & Warren-Khot, H. K. (2012). Refining the preschool self-regulation assessment for use in preschool classrooms. Infant and Child Development, 21, 596–616.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bierman, K. L., Domitrovich, C. E., Nix, R. L., Gest, S. D., Welsh, J. A., Greenberg, M. T., et al. (2008). Promoting academic and social–emotional school readiness: The Head Start REDI program. Child Development, 79, 1802–1817.Google Scholar
Blair, C. (2002). School readiness: Integrating cognition and emotion in a neurobiological conceptualization of children's functioning at school entry. American Psychologist, 57, 111–127.Google Scholar
Blair, C., & Diamond, A. (2008). Biological processes in prevention and intervention: The promotion of self-regulation as a means of preventing school failure. Development and Psychopathology, 20, 899–911.Google Scholar
Blandon, A. Y., Calkins, S. D., Keane, S. P., & O'Brien, M. (2008). Individual differences in trajectories of emotion regulation processes: The effects of maternal depressive symptomatology and children's physiological regulation. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1110–1123.Google Scholar
Brown, E. D., & Ackerman, B. P. (2011). Contextual risk, maternal negative emotionality, and the negative emotion dysregulation of preschool children from economically disadvantaged families. Early Education and Development, 22, 931–944.Google Scholar
Buckley, M., & Saarni, C. (2006). Skills of emotional competence: Developmental implications. In Buckley, M. & Saarni, C. (Eds.), Emotional intelligence in everyday life (2nd ed., pp. 51–76). Hove: Psychology Press/Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Bulotsky-Shearer, R. J., Dominguez, X., & Bell, E. R. (2012). Preschool classroom behavioral context and school readiness outcomes for low-income children: A multilevel examination of child- and classroom-level influences. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104, 421–438.Google Scholar
Bulotsky-Shearer, R. J., Fantuzzo, J. W., & McDermott, P. A. (2008). An investigation of classroom situational dimensions of emotional and behavioral adjustment and cognitive and social outcomes for Head Start children. Developmental Psychology, 44, 139–154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bumbarger, B., & Perkins, D. (2008). After randomized trials: Issues related to dissemination of evidence-based interventions. Journal of Children's Services, 3, 55–64.Google Scholar
Burchinal, M., Vandergrift, N., Pianta, R., & Mashburn, A. (2010). Threshold analysis of association between child care quality and child outcomes for low-income children in pre-kindergarten programs. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25, 166–176.Google Scholar
Cassidy, K. W., Werner, R. S., Rourke, M., Zubernis, L. S., & Balaraman, G. (2003). The relationship between psychological understanding and positive social behaviors. Social Development, 12, 198–221.Google Scholar
Chien, N., Howes, C., Burchinal, M., Pianta, R. C., Ritchie, S., Bryant, D. M., et al. (2010). Children's classroom engagement and school readiness gains in prekindergarten. Child Development, 81, 1534–1549.Google Scholar
Cole, P. M., Martin, S. E., & Dennis, T. A. (2004). Emotion regulation as a scientific construct: Methodological challenges and directions for child development research. Child Development, 75, 317–333.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook, E. T., Greenberg, M. T., & Kusche, C. A. (1994). The relations between emotional understanding, intellectual functioning, and disruptive behavior problems in elementary-aged children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22, 205–219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denham, S. A. (2006). Social–emotional competence as support for school readiness: What is it and how do we assess it? Early Education and Development, 17, 57–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denham, S. A., Bassett, H., Mincic, M., Kalb, S., Way, E., Wyatt, T., et al. (2012). Social–emotional learning profiles of preschoolers' early school success: A person-centered approach. Learning and Individual Differences, 22, 178–189.Google Scholar
Denham, S. A., Blair, K. A., DeMulder, E., Levitas, J., Sawyer, K., Auerbach-Major, S., et al. (2003). Preschool emotional competence: Pathway to social competence. Child Development, 74, 238–256.Google Scholar
Denham, S. A., & Burton, R. (2003). Social and emotional prevention and intervention programming for preschoolers. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press.Google Scholar
DeRousie, R. M. S., & Bierman, K. L. (2012). Examining the sustainability of an evidence-based preschool curriculum: The REDI program. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27, 55–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dobbs, J., Doctoroff, G. L., Fisher, P. H., & Arnold, D. H. (2006). The association between preschool children's socio–emotional functioning and their mathematical skills. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 27, 97–108.Google Scholar
Domitrovich, C. E., Cortes, R. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (2007). Improving young children's social and emotional competence: A randomized trial of the preschool “PATHS” curriculum. Journal of Primary Prevention, 28, 67–91.Google Scholar
Dunn, L. M., & Dunn, L. M. (1997). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test: Manual (3rd ed.). Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Services.Google Scholar
Dunn, L. M., Lugo, D. E., Padilla, E. R., & Dunn, L. M. (1986). Test de vocabulario en imagenes peabody. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Services.Google Scholar
Elias, M. J., Zins, J. E., Graczyk, P. A., & Weissburg, R. P. (2003). Implementation, sustainability, and scaling up of social–emotional and academic innovations in public schools. School Psychology Review, 32, 303–319.Google Scholar
Fitzgerald, P. D., & Edstrom, L. V. (2006). Second step: A violence prevention curriculum. In Fitzgerald, P. D. & Edstrom, L. V. (Eds.), Handbook of school violence and school safety: From research to practice (pp. 383–394). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Frey, K. S., Hirschstein, M. K., & Guzzo, B. A. (2000). Second step: Preventing aggression by promoting social competence. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 8, 102–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glutting, J. J., & Oakland, T. (1991). Guide to the assessment of test session behaviors. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Hackman, D. A., & Farah, M. J. (2009). Socioeconomic status and the developing brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13, 65–73.Google Scholar
Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., Berk, L. E., & Singer, D. G. (2009). A mandate for playful learning in preschool: Presenting the evidence. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Hogan, A., Scott, K. G., & Bauer, C. R. (1992). The adaptive social behavior inventory (ASBI): A new assessment of social competence in high-risk three-year-olds. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 10, 230–239.Google Scholar
Hughes, J. M., Cavell, T. A., Meehan, B. T., Zhang, D., & Collie, C. (2005). Adverse school context moderates the outcomes of selective interventions for aggressive children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 731–736.Google Scholar
Hughes, K., & Coplan, R. J. (2010). Exploring processes linking shyness and academic achievement in childhood. School Psychology Quarterly, 25, 213–222.Google Scholar
Izard, C. E. (2000). EERS: Emotion Expression Rating Scale. Unpublished manuscript, University of Delaware, Newark, Department of Psychology.Google Scholar
Izard, C. E. (2001). Emotional intelligence or adaptive emotions? Emotion, 1, 249–257.Google Scholar
Izard, C. E. (2002). Translating emotion theory and research into preventive interventions. Psychological Bulletin, 40, 796–824.Google Scholar
Izard, C. E. (2009). Emotion theory and research: Highlights, unanswered questions, and emerging issues. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 1–25.Google Scholar
Izard, C. E., Fine, S. E., Schultz, D., Mostow, A. J., Ackerman, B. P., & Youngstrom, E. (2001). Emotion knowledge as a predictor of social behavior and academic competence in children at risk. Psychological Science, 12, 18–23.Google Scholar
Izard, C. E., Haskins, F. W., Schultz, D., Trentacosta, C. J., & King, K. A. (2003). Emotion Matching Test. Unpublished manuscript, University of Delaware, Newark, Department of Psychology.Google Scholar
Izard, C. E., King, K. A., & Finlon, K. J. (2007). Behavior and Emotion Expression Observation System. Unpublished manuscript, University of Delaware, Newark, Department of Psychology.Google Scholar
Izard, C. E., King, K. A., Trentacosta, C. J., Morgan, J. K, Laurenceau, J., Ewing, E. S., et al. (2008). Accelerating the development of emotion competence in Head Start children: Effects on adaptive and maladaptive behavior. Development and Psychopathology, 20, 369–397.Google Scholar
Izard, C. E., Trentacosta, C. J., King, K. A., & Mostow, A. J. (2004). An emotion-based prevention program for Head Start children. Early Education and Development, 15, 407–422.Google Scholar
Ladd, G. W., Herald, S. L., & Kochel, K. P. (2006). School readiness: Are there social prerequisites? Early Education and Development, 17, 115–150.Google Scholar
Li-Grining, C. P. (2007). Effortful control among low-income preschoolers in three cities: Stability, change, and individual differences. Developmental Psychology, 43, 208–221.Google Scholar
Lynch, K. B., Geller, S. R., & Schmidt, M. G. (2004). Multi-year evaluation of the effectiveness of a resilience-based prevention program for young children. Journal of Primary Prevention, 24, 335–353.Google Scholar
Mashburn, A. J., Pianta, R. C., Hamre, B. K., Downer, J. T., Barbarin, O., Bryant, D., et al. (2008). Measures of classroom quality in prekindergarten and children's development of academic, language, and social skills. Child Development, 79, 732–749.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McLloyd, V. C. (1998). Socioeconomic disadvantage and child development. American Psychologist, 53, 185–204.Google Scholar
Morgan, J. K., Izard, C. E., & King, K. A. (2010). Construct validity of the emotion matching task: Preliminary evidence for convergent and criterion validity of a new emotion knowledge measure for young children. Social Development, 19, 52–70.Google Scholar
Mostow, A. J., Izard, C. E., Fine, S. E., & Trentacosta, C. J. (2002). Modeling the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral predictors of peer acceptance. Child Development, 73, 1775–1787.Google Scholar
Mulligan, G. M., Hastedt, S., & McCarroll, J. C. (2012). First-time kindergartners in 2010–11: First findings from the kindergarten rounds of the early childhood longitudinal study, kindergarten class of 2010–11 (ECLS-K:2011, NCES 2012-049). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.Google Scholar
Pianta, R. C. (1999). Enhancing relationships between children and teachers. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Pianta, R. C., LaParo, K. M., & Hamre, B. K. (2006). Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Manual pre-k. Charlottesville, VA: Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning.Google Scholar
Raudenbush, S. W., Bryk, A. S., & Congdon, R. (2004). HLM 6 for Windows [Computer software]. Skokie, IL: Scientific Software International.Google Scholar
Raver, C. C. (2004). Placing emotional self-regulation in sociocultural and socioeconomic contexts. Child Development, 375, 346–353.Google Scholar
Raver, C. C., Blair, C., & Willoughby, M. (2012). Poverty as a predictor of 4-year-olds' executive function: New perspectives on models of differential susceptibility. Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication.Google Scholar
Raver, C. C., Jones, S. M., Li-Grining, C., Zhai, F., Metzger, M. W., & Solomon, B. (2009). Targeting children's behavior problems in preschool classrooms: A cluster-randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 302–316.Google Scholar
Rush, A. J., Trivedi, M. H., Ibrahim, H. M., Carmody, T. J., Arnow, B., Klein, D. N., et al. (2003). The 16-item quick inventory of depressive symptomatology (QIDS), clinical rating (QIDS-C) and self-report (QIDS-SR): A psychometric evaluation in patients with chronic major depression. Biological Psychiatry, 54, 573–583.Google Scholar
Schultz, D., Izard, C. E., & Bear, G. G. (2004). Children's emotion processing: Relations to emotionality and aggression. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 371–387.Google Scholar
Shields, A., & Cicchetti, D. (1997). Emotion regulation among school-age children: The development and validation of a new criterion Q-sort scale. Developmental Psychology, 33, 906–916.Google Scholar
Shure, M. B. (2001). I can problem solve (ICPS): An interpersonal cognitive problem solving program for children. Residential Treatment for Children and Youth, 18, 3–14.Google Scholar
Southam-Gerow, M. A., & Kendall, P. C. (2002). Emotion regulation and understanding: Implications for child psychopathology and therapy. Clinical Psychology Review, 22, 189–222.Google Scholar
Stoiber, K. C. (2011). Translating knowledge of social–emotional learning and evidence-based practice into responsive school innovations. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 21, 46–55.Google Scholar
Thompson, R. A., & Raikes, H. A. (2007). The social and emotional foundations of school readiness. In Perry, D. F., Kaufman, R. K., & Knitzer, J. (Eds.), Social and emotional health in early childhood: Building bridges between services and systems (pp. 13–36). Baltimore, MD: Brookes.Google Scholar
Webster-Stratton, C., & Reid, M. J. (2004). Strengthening social and emotional competence in young children—The foundation for early school readiness and success: Incredible years classroom social skills and problem-solving curriculum. Infants and Young Children, 17, 96–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, M. J., & Stoolmiller, M. (2008). Preventing conduct problems and improving school readiness: Evaluation of the incredible years teacher and child training programs in high risk schools. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49, 471–488.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wenz-Gross, M., & Upshur, C. (2012). Implementing a primary prevention social skills intervention in urban preschools: Factors associated with quality and fidelity. Early Education and Development, 23, 427–450.Google Scholar