Supporting Preschoolers' Mental Health and Academic Learning through the PROMEHS Program: A Training Study

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Mental Health Interventions

Background:

• Early school interventions positively impact life skills, behaviors, and academic results.
• Existing programs often show limited reduction in problem behaviors despite improving social-emotional competencies.
• The Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS) program uses a whole-school approach to enhance mental health and prevent negative conduct.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the PROMEHS program for Italian and Portuguese preschoolers.
• To assess the program's impact on social-emotional learning (SEL), behavior, and academic outcomes.
• To investigate differential effects on marginalized and disadvantaged children.

Main Methods:

• A total of 784 preschoolers (aged 4-5) participated.
• Children were assigned to either the PROMEHS intervention group or a waiting list control group.
• The intervention involved six months of program participation guided by trained teachers.

Main Results:

• PROMEHS significantly improved preschoolers' SEL competencies, prosocial behavior, and academic outcomes.
• Increased participation in practical activities correlated with enhanced SEL and reduced internalizing/externalizing behaviors.
• Marginalized and disadvantaged children showed the greatest benefits, with marked improvements in SEL and reductions in internalizing problems.

Conclusions:

• The PROMEHS program is effective in promoting mental health and positive development in preschoolers.
• A whole-school approach focusing on both SEL and behavior is beneficial.
• Targeted support within universal programs can yield significant advantages for vulnerable student populations.