Preventing Behavioral Disorders via Supporting Social and Emotional Competence at Preschool Age

Annika Schell1, Lucia Albers, Rüdiger von Kries

  • 1Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Institute of Social Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Cologne.

Insights

A social training program for preschoolers significantly improved social-cognitive problem-solving skills and prosocial behavior. This intervention effectively reduced behavioral problems in kindergarten children.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Behavioral Intervention

Background:

  • Preschool behavioral problems affect 13-18% of children, potentially leading to long-term issues.
  • The "Lubo from Outer Space" social training program was evaluated in a kindergarten setting.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of the "Lubo from Outer Space" social training program for preschoolers.
  • To assess improvements in social-cognitive problem-solving, prosocial behavior, and reduction of problematic behavior.

Main Methods:

  • 15 kindergartens were randomized into intervention and control groups (2:1 ratio).
  • The intervention targeted emotional knowledge, regulation, perspective-taking, communication, and social problem-solving.
  • Outcomes were measured using the Wally Social Skills and Problem Solving Game, Preschool Social Behavior Questionnaire (PSBQ), and Caregiver-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF) pre- and post-intervention, and at 5-month follow-up.

Main Results:

  • Despite initial randomization imbalances, the intervention group showed greater improvement in social-cognitive problem-solving strategies (0.79 SD).
  • These improvements were sustained at 5-month follow-up (0.63 SD).
  • Prosocial behavior also significantly improved in the intervention group (0.37 SD on PSBQ).

Conclusions:

  • The "Lubo from Outer Space" program is an effective, age-appropriate intervention for preventing behavioral disorders in kindergarten children.
  • The program successfully enhanced children's understanding and application of prosocial problem-solving strategies and improved their prosocial behavior.
Abstract

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