Exploring early intervention models at home to support the development of preterm infants: A literature review to guide professionals and involve parents.

Early life experiences play a crucial role in shaping children's emotional and psychological development, influencing their self-perception, interpersonal relationships, and ability to regulate stress. Primary school-aged children are particularly vulnerable, as they have limited control over their environment while being increasingly exposed to challenges such as family conflict, peer difficulties, and academic pressure. Without appropriate support, they may adopt maladaptive coping strategies in response to psychological distress. Although mental health issues among children are gaining recognition, access to effective support remains limited due to stigma, financial constraints, and a lack of resources. Therefore, this study examined the effectiveness of a Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Brief CBT) workshop on psychological distress, coping strategies, and grit among primary school students in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The study adopted a randomized quasi-experimental design with random selection and allocation of 7 schools to either intervention or wait-list groups, and three quantitative measures were used at two time points to assess the outcomes. Analysis indicated significant intervention effects on Anxiety [F (1, 1092) = 4.32, p = .038], Coping Strategies (Active) [F (1, 1092) = 14.87, p < .001], and Grit [F (1, 1092) = 10.20, p = .001].

Infants engage with their world through a complex system of relationships, a reality that becomes especially salient in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where infants encounter numerous healthcare professionals. Secure connections between infants and caregivers are critical to psychological, emotional, and physical development, yet little research has examined how infants experience their relationships with healthcare professionals in NICU. This qualitative phenomenological study, conducted in an Australian NICU, explored the infant's experience of connection and relationship-building with their healthcare professionals. Term-born infants, their parents, and members of their healthcare teams were purposively sampled. Data were generated through participant observation and semi-structured interviews, providing rich insight into the infant's relational world. Thematic analysis identified three themes: (1) the complexity of infant-clinician relational dynamics; (2) the infant within the relational space; and (3) barriers and challenges within the infant-clinician relationship. Findings highlight the complexity and fragility of infant-clinician relationships, which were frequently centred on physical survival, sometimes limiting attention to the infant's emotional safety and early relational health. These results highlight the importance of recognising infants as relational beings and calls for neonatal practice to prioritise developmentally supportive and emotionally attuned caregiving.

Theories of emotion development propose that negative affect decreases over time as attention control and emotion regulation improve. Yet, research on infancy suggests that the first year of life can be characterised by a different developmental pattern: increased negative affect as infants age. Implementing an emotion-eliciting task, we measured infants' observed emotion reactivity and regulation, and physiological arousal (heart rate) during the challenge (toy retraction) and recovery (toy play) conditions at age 6months (n=82, 43 boys) and age 12months (n=68, 36 boys) continuously on a second-by-second basis. We first measured mean intensity of reactivity, regulation, and arousal by calculating within-person averages. Then, we measured three temporal dynamics: estimates of variability by calculating variance, lability by calculating root mean square of successive differences, and persistence of changes by calculating autocorrelation. Intensity, variability, and lability in negative reactivity increased from 6 to 12months with no change in persistence, indicating a larger and quicker negative reaction to toy retraction with age. Regulatory strategy use increased from 6 to 12months during challenge,whereas during recovery, it reduced and became more stable. Heart rate decreased from challenge to recovery at 12months but not at 6months. We then examined how the temporal associations between reactivity, regulation and arousal change over time. Cross-correlation analyses revealed stronger temporal associations between reactivity, regulation, and heart rate at 12 months, suggesting increased coherence between behavioural and physiological responses with age. We discuss these developmental changes in emotion dynamics and behaviour-physiology associations in the context of functionalist perspectives on emotion. SUMMARY: This study employs momentary recordings of emotional expressions, regulatory behaviours, and physiological arousal, focusing on two key aspects: within-task context and temporal dynamics. As they grow, infants show stronger negative reactions and greater regulatory efforts during stress but calmer reactions and reduced use of regulation once stressor ends. Temporal associations between emotional behaviours and physiology (heart rate) increased from 6 to 12months, suggesting stronger emotional coherence with age in infancy. Together, these patterns may reflect improved emotional flexibility, with older infants showing more context-appropriate emotion responses.

ABSTRACT Background Service-Learning (SL) is a pedagogical approach that combines academic learning with community engagement. In Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE), research on SL often focuses on preservice teachers’ technical skills and social responsibility, while affective experiences and the perspectives of other participants remain largely unexplored. This study examines these aspects, to show how approaching SL through a pedagogy of love, emphasizing care and affective engagement, can support socially inclusive and emotionally attuned educational practices. Purpose The study explored the lived experiences and affective responses of participants in a Critical Service-Learning (CSL) course-based programme within initial PETE in collaboration with a Special Education Center (SEC). By involving preservice Physical Education (PE) teachers, children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), SEC staff, and the children’s families, the programme sought to promote social inclusion. Methods Visual ethnography was employed to align with the study’s objectives, collecting data through photographs, field journals, group reflections, and focus groups. The analysis integrated narrative and visual within a holistic, non-linear framework. The researchers’ positionality was addressed. The lead researcher combined an etic academic viewpoint with an emic perspective as a parent, managed through ongoing reflexivity, while the rest of the research team contributed their expertise in qualitative research. Findings A descriptive presentation of eight sets of photographs and participants’ accounts is shared in the Findings section, enabling an integrated understanding of visual and narrative data. These findings are then explored in the Discussion section, where they are interpreted through the theoretical framework of a pedagogy of love, organized around four thematic dimensions: preservice teachers’ pedagogical and relational learning, their emotional challenges, their growth through care, and community members’ experiences of joy and discovery. SL enhanced empathy, ethical awareness, and professional commitment among the preservice teachers. Children showed increased motivation, while staff and families recognized strategies that challenged traditional learner-teacher roles. PE became a space for inclusion, shared affective learning, and social justice, all guided by a pedagogy of love that fostered transformative emotional, ethical, and relational development across the community. Impact statement This study highlights how SL in PETE can support preservice teachers’ relational sensitivity, ethical awareness, and professional growth, while fostering inclusion, engagement, and meaningful learning for children with SEN, aligned with a pedagogy of love. By attending to affective dimensions and the experiences of the different groups, the findings extend understanding of the relational and emotional dimensions of SL, often overlooked in previous research.

This study aims to describe the relationship between the risk of dyslexia and emotional regulation and self-confidence in early childhood. The research used a qualitative approach with a case study design. The subjects were children aged 5–6 years identified as being at risk for dyslexia in early childhood education institutions. Data collection techniques included observation, in-depth interviews with teachers and parents, and documentation of children's development. The results showed that children at risk for dyslexia tend to experience difficulties in managing emotions, such as being easily frustrated and withdrawn, and exhibit low levels of self-confidence in learning activities. This study emphasizes the importance of a holistic and supportive learning approach to support the social-emotional development of children at risk for dyslexia. Keywords: Risk of dyslexia, emotional regulation, self-confidence, early childhood, qualitative Research

Maternal isocaloric fructose exposure selectively attenuates effort-based cocaine motivation and remodels mesostriatal dopaminergic and melanocortin receptor profiles in male rat offspring.

Research and theory suggest that neuroendocrine functioning, such as diurnal cortisol rhythms, plays an important role in emotional development and expression, but that this functioning can be impacted under conditions of elevated stress. Although mindfulness-based interventions show promise for improving emotional functioning, their effects on cortisol regulation in children remain unclear despite a solid theoretical foundation. This study provides preliminary data from a sample of children (n = 57; mean age = 10 years) on changes in diurnal cortisol rhythms associated with exposure to the Pure Power curriculum which is designed to teach youth yoga techniques, mindfulness, and emotion regulation. A non-randomized comparison design examined outcomes and diurnal cortisol levels among participants from schools that completed the intervention (n = 27) and from students in comparison schools (n = 30) assessed at three time points approximately one year apart. Modeling of diurnal patterns indicated that youth in the intervention schools demonstrated a relative change in their cortisol levels at Time 2 towards a diurnal rhythm associated with less stress. The data provide initial evidence for an association between exposure to a yoga and mindfulness curriculum and neuroendocrine function. The conclusions are limited by the non-randomized design and small sample. Replication with randomized designs and larger samples is needed.

Technological advancement has significantly transformed adolescents’ daily routines, expanding access to and use of digital devices such as smartphones, computers, tablets, and video games. Although these technologies provide benefits related to communication, entertainment, and access to information, increased screen exposure has raised concerns regarding its impact on cognitive and emotional development. Adolescence is a developmental stage marked by intense neurological and behavioral changes, making this population more vulnerable to the effects of excessive digital media use. Scientific evidence suggests that prolonged screen exposure may be associated with impairments in essential cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and academic performance, as well as behavioral changes, increased anxiety symptoms, and sleep quality disturbances. Another relevant factor involves reduced physical activity and sedentary behaviors, which also negatively affect cognitive development. In this context, the present study aims to analyze the influence of screen time on adolescents’ cognitive functions, focusing on its effects on memory, attention, and academic performance. The relevance of this study lies in understanding the balance between the benefits and risks associated with digital technology use, contributing to the development of educational and public health strategies aimed at promoting balanced digital habits and supporting healthy adolescent development.

ABSTRACT Objective Parents and caregivers substantially contribute to youth emotional development. Emotion dysregulation is a significant, pervasive concern for youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, with adolescence being a salient but understudied developmental period. Several parent-related factors have shown to independently predict youth Emotion dysregulation. However, it is unclear whether there are underlying patterns of co-occurring parent-related factors that relate to emotion dysregulation in adolescents. This study examined potential latent profiles of parent factors and whether parent profiles (1) differed among parents of adolescents are diagnosed with or without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and (2) were associated with adolescent emotion dysregulation outcomes. Method The study sample included 266 adolescents (54.1% male; 81.6% White; 51.1% comprehensively diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Results Three distinct parent profiles emerged: Low Internalizing/Emotion dysregulation and High Authoritative Parenting (62.5% of sample), Moderate Internalizing/Emotion dysregulation and Permissive Parenting (10.9% of sample), and High Internalizing/Emotion dysregulation and Moderate Authoritative Parenting (26.6% of sample). Results indicated that parents of adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are more likely to be in the High Internalizing/Emotion dysregulation and Moderate Authoritative Parenting profile. Profiles characterized by authoritative parenting practices were generally associated with less emotion dysregulation, though no significant differences in self-reported adolescent emotion dysregulation were observed across profiles. Conclusion These findings underscore the potential for parent psychopathology, emotion dysregulation, and parenting practices to serve as targets for interventions aimed at reducing emotion dysregulation, particularly in neurodiverse populations.

Screen time and autism-like symptoms in early childhood: Examining the concept of virtual autism.

ABSTRACT This study evaluates the emotions experienced by primary school students in Physical Education (PE) across different age groups and genders, focusing on their capacity to identify and reflect on these emotions within a specific cultural context. A total of 189 fourth- and sixth-grade students played a popular traditional game (Spanish version of dodgeball). They then completed the Games and Emotions Scale for Children to assess their emotional experiences during the game. The data collected combined quantitative (scale) and qualitative (written explanation) methods. Three key themes were identified: (1) the development of the emotional body, (2) the diverse cultural movement in which emotions are experienced, and (3) the range of emotions experienced in a mixed-gender PE class. First, while most students could identify emotions, some found it difficult to recognise or express them, indicating a gap in emotional awareness. Second, students reported predominantly positive emotions due to the game's collaborative (positive interaction) and opposition (negative interaction) nature and absence of elimination. Third, girls linked emotions to social interactions, while boys focused on competition. The findings emphasise the need for intentional emotional education to foster students’ social and emotional development.

This paper explores the concept of contact in contemporary teleanalysis, specifically addressing the experience of “being together” within virtual psychoanalytic sessions. Drawing upon D.W. Winnicott’s theory of emotional development, the author distinguishes between three contact phenomena in teleanalysis: recognizing togetherness, feeling togetherness, and experiencing shared oneness. The author argues that teleanalytic settings can allow the recognition and feeling of togetherness, as well as brief moments of joint oneness. However, significant limitations emerge when the patient’s analytic process requires a regression to dependence and prolonged experiences of shared oneness as part of its management. The structural and functional constraints of digitally mediated interactions, as well as the effects they have on the analytic dyad, substantially restrict the capacity to achieve, sustain, and elaborate extended experiences of oneness. Consequently, this paper adopts a moderate stance regarding the viability of teleanalysis, emphasizing that the potential need for regression in treatment should be a critical criterion when evaluating the suitability of this modality.

The increasing use of gadgets among children aged 7–8 years has become a growing concern due to its potential to cause gadget addiction and emotional problems. Children who experience gadget addiction tend to show irritability, difficulty controlling emotions, decreased social interaction, and greater dependence on digital entertainment compared to other activities. Excessive gadget use may also interfere with children’s emotional development and social behavior. Drawing therapy is considered one of the non-pharmacological interventions that can help children express emotions creatively while diverting their attention from excessive gadget use. This study aimed to determine the effect of drawing therapy on gadget addiction and emotional conditions among children aged 7–8 years at SDN 2 Bakalan Pule Lamongan. This study employed a quasi-experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The sample consisted of 44 respondents selected using purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected using the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) questionnaire and a children’s emotional questionnaire. Drawing therapy interventions were conducted for 30–45 minutes twice a week over four weeks. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The findings showed a significant decrease in gadget addiction levels after the intervention, with 75% of respondents categorized as having mild gadget addiction, while 55% demonstrated good emotional conditions. The study concludes that drawing therapy has a significant effect on reducing gadget addiction and improving emotional well-being among children aged 7–8 years.

Prenatal and childhood exposure to common plasticizers in relation to emotional and behavioral development through adolescence.

The transition to middle school during early adolescence presents a range of challenges for students, which can negatively impact both academic performance and overall development. Involvement in dance and incorporating dance into the middle school curriculum can provide opportunities for academic, emotional, social, and physical growth and success. Through dance, adolescent learners adapt to new ways of acquiring skills and new pedagogical approaches for learning and development. Dance offers students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to build community and work toward a common goal. Dance is a universal art form that transcends cultural boundaries, providing a rich platform for self-expression and creativity. It integrates movements, rhythms, and techniques from various cultures around the world, allowing adolescents to explore and connect with diverse traditions. By exploring diverse dance styles, students develop a greater appreciation for global cultures, fostering inclusivity, understanding, and empathy. Dance also provides students with a powerful outlet to express emotions, explore their social identities, and develop physically, factors that are closely linked to academic success. This article explores key themes from existing research on how incorporating dance can support middle school students’ overall cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and academic development. It also offers middle school educators strategies to incorporate dance into their curriculum.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between problem-solving skills, which are crucial for overcoming the challenges adolescents face in social interactions, and prosocial behaviors that reflect social adaptation and empathy. It is anticipated that the findings will pave the way for the development of effective educational programs to support adolescents' social and emotional development. This descriptive, analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted with adolescents aged 10-14 years who were enrolled in secondary education institutions in the central district of a province in Turkey. No sampling procedure was employed; rather, the study included the entire accessible population. The sample consisted of 1,000 adolescents who voluntarily agreed to participate in the research. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the "Sociodemographic Questionnaire," the "Problem Solving Inventory for Children," and the "Adolescent Prosociality Scale." The mean age of the adolescents who participated in the study was 12.07 ± 1.274 years, and 27% of them were female. The total mean score for the Problem Solving Inventory was 74.20 ± 22.32, while the total mean score for the Prosociality Scale was 64.75 ± 12.85. A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between adolescents' total problem-solving scores (r = 0.356) and confidence subscale scores (r = 0.484) with their prosociality scores (p < 0.001). Conversely, as the scores for the self-control (r = - 0.276) and avoidance (r = - 0.147) subscales increased, prosociality scores significantly decreased (p < 0.001). Adolescents with higher problem-solving skills were found to exhibit a greater tendency toward prosocial behaviors, particularly when their sense of confidence was strong. In contrast, self-control and avoidance behaviors were found to have a negative influence on adolescents' levels of prosociality.

The article scientifically analyzes the integration of education and upbringing in preschool pedagogical activities. Integrating education and upbringing simultaneously promotes children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and skill development. The study highlights the role of the teacher, the importance of innovative methods, and interactive activities. Furthermore, it emphasizes the significance of parental cooperation in the educational and upbringing process. The integratedapproach contributes to the holistic development of children and enhances the effectiveness of pedagogical practices in preschool institutions

ABSTRACT Early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings play a key role in fostering young children’s social-emotional development. Skilled professional teams are essential to creating inclusive, supportive learning environments that promote these competencies. In response to the need for systematic enhancement of social-emotional support in ECEC, this study examined the perceived impact of a professional development program, grounded in a program-wide positive behavior support (PW-PBS) approach, on children’s social-emotional competence and behavior. The study involved 139 professionals and considered both institutional and professional characteristics. A blended-learning professional development program, delivered through a train-the-trainers model, was implemented across diverse ECEC settings in Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, and Portugal. Participants reported improvements in children’s social-emotional outcomes and in their own professional skills, highlighting the program’s promising effects despite its relatively short duration. Findings further indicated that more experienced professionals, teachers working with larger groups, professionals in the social (nonprofit) sector, and those in centers without existing behavioral guidelines perceived greater benefits from the training. Overall, higher perceived quality of the program was associated with stronger perceived impact. These results extend existing knowledge on PW-PBS implementation in Europe and underscore the importance of targeted professional development to support young children’s social-emotional development.

Emerging evidence suggests that emotion malleability beliefs are associated with adolescents' emotion regulation and social interactions. However, it is unclear how this association is impacted by family interaction, which plays a crucial role in adolescent emotional development. The present study used Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Models (APIMeMs) to examine how parents' and adolescents' emotion malleability beliefs are linked to their own and each other's emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) in parent-adolescent dyads and how the interdependence is related to adolescents' social anxiety symptoms. Data were collected from 493 parent-adolescent dyads in China (Mage = 14.82 years, SD = 0.45; 50.71% girls; 80.32% mothers). Results showed that both parents' and adolescents' emotion malleability beliefs were associated with their own and each other's use of cognitive reappraisal. For expressive suppression, only actor effects were significant, such that parents' and adolescents' emotion malleability beliefs were related to their own use of expressive suppression. Moreover, adolescents' emotion malleability beliefs predicated their social anxiety symptoms both directly and indirectly through their own cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Parents' emotion malleability beliefs were indirectly associated with reduced adolescent social anxiety symptoms via adolescents' increased cognitive reappraisal. These findings, based on the context of family interaction, suggest that cognitive reappraisal, more than expressive suppression, may reflect a dyadic family process through which emotion malleability beliefs are associated with adolescent social anxiety symptoms.