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

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Early Childhood Education
• Preventive Interventions

Background:

• Preschool social-emotional programs are crucial for at-risk children in diverse, low-income settings.
• Previous efficacy studies indicated the potential of the Emotion-Based Prevention Program (EBP).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Emotion-Based Prevention Program (EBP) compared to I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) in a diverse Head Start population.
• To examine moderators of treatment effects, including cumulative risk, parental depressive symptoms, and classroom climate.

Main Methods:

• 248 culturally diverse Head Start preschoolers received either EBP or ICPS.
• Data collected via child assessment, teacher reports, parent interviews, and observations pre- and post-intervention.
• Teacher fidelity to the EBP intervention was monitored.

Main Results:

• Children in EBP classrooms showed greater gains in emotion knowledge and reduced negative emotion expressions and internalizing behaviors compared to ICPS.
• Cumulative risk, parental depressive symptoms, and classroom climate moderated treatment outcomes.
• EBP demonstrated superior effectiveness for children with higher stress or less support.

Conclusions:

• The Emotion-Based Prevention Program (EBP) is a sustainable and effective intervention for promoting social-emotional well-being in at-risk preschoolers.
• EBP shows promise in improving emotion knowledge, regulation, and behavior, even under less supervised conditions.
• Findings support EBP's utility in diverse, low-income preschool settings.