Social-Emotional Profiles of Preschool Children: An Investigation of Demographic Disparities and Intersectionality

This study aims to enhance our understanding of the diverse nature of social-emotional development and explore the demographic disparities and intersectionality of social determinants among children, with an emphasis on underserved populations of children in low-resource environments. Young children living in low-income families are exposed to a wide array of social and systemic risks that increase the propensity for poor learning and social-emotional development. Using data from the Head Start Family and Childhood Experiences Survey (FACES, this study focuses on the social-emotional development of a nationally representative sample of young children enrolled in the Head Start program (n = 1921, 50.18% male). Employing a person-centered approach, we assessed teacher-rated social-emotional competence, including approach to learning, social cooperation, aggression, hyperactivity, and anxiety/depression/withdrawal, to classify young children's social-emotional development. This study identified four distinct social-emotional profiles-Adaptive, Average, Moderate Risk, and High Risk-through latent profile analysis. Furthermore, multinomial regression analysis revealed demographic disparities within each social-emotional profile, and significant intersectionality was found between race/ethnicity, age, and disability status in the social-emotional profiles. This research provides valuable insights for better supporting each child's unique needs.