Socioemotional Problems Research Articles

Emotional reactivity and eating disorder related attitudes in response to the trier social stress test: An experimental study in people with anorexia nervosa and with bulimia nervosa.

Background: In order to experimentally asses the role of socio-emotional problems in Eating Disorder (ED) psychopathology, we have measured affective states and ED-related attitudes in response to an acute psychosocial stress and their relationships with interpersonal sensitivity in people with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN).Methods: Twenty-one women with AN, 21 with BN and 27 healthy women underwent an acute psycho-social challenge, the Trier Social Stress Test. Anxiety feelings, hunger perception, amount of desired food and body dissatisfaction were measured throughout the experimental procedure. The relationships between these variables and with interpersonal sensitivity measures were explored through Pearson's correlation and mediation analyses.Results: Stress-induced anxiety was increased in people with EDs. People with AN showed reduced hunger perception, decreased desire for food and a negative association between anxiety feelings and desire for food. In people with EDs, baseline ineffectiveness predicted post-stress body dissatisfaction through the mediation of post-stress anxiety levels.Limitations: The relatively low sample size and the lack of an experimental control condition are the main limitations of the study.Conclusions: The present findings show, for the first time, the relationships between socio-emotional distress and ED-related attitudes in people with EDs, providing experimental support to the interpersonal model of EDs. This gives empirical evidence to treatments targeting interpersonal problems in EDs.

Assessing Dyslexia at Six Year of Age.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of dyslexia at early ages in different countries and regions. This increase has serious consequences within school and family settings, due to the poor academic performance that characterizes people with dyslexia and the socio-emotional problems they sometimes display. One of the most frequent problems in the identification of the dyslexia is the lack of a common diagnostic protocol that encompasses specific criteria for the assessment of any child. The Learning Disabilities and Development Disorders research group at the University of Malaga has developed a protocol for the early detection of dyslexia. The protocol is based on the diagnostic and response to intervention models. Consequently, it takes into account diagnostic criteria agreed upon by some associations and committees of experts, as well as certain specific cognitive and language determinants that characterize people who present with dyslexia following adequate instruction, according to recent research. The action protocol is developed over several stages, and we propose the use of structured interviews with parents and teachers alongside standardized tests for the evaluation of intelligence, reading and writing, as well as the risk factors that determine the appearance of the problem. This action protocol provides a model for the detection of dyslexia, which seeks to distinguish it from other comorbid problems and identify its characteristics and determinants, in order to offer effective intervention and/or prevention from an early age.

A Cross-Lagged Analysis of Emotion Regulation, Peer Problems, and Emotional Problems in Children With and Without Early Language Difficulties: Evidence From the Millennium Cohort Study.

Purpose Adolescents with a history of language difficulties are at risk for increased social and emotional difficulties; however, the pathways involved are unclear. We examine the contribution of poor emotion regulation by comparing longitudinal data from children at risk of developmental language disorder (rDLD) and the general population. Method Data from the Millennium Cohort Study were analyzed at ages 3, 5, 7, 11, and 14 years. The rDLD group (children with parent-reported difficulties and/or a score of -1.5 SDs on the Naming Vocabulary subtest at age 5 years) was compared to a general population group on parent reports of emotion regulation, peer problems, and emotional problems. Results In line with the established literature, increased socioemotional problems in individuals with language difficulties were reported. Poor emotion regulation consistently predicted subsequent peer and emotional problems throughout development in both groups. Stronger cross-lag effects were found in the rDLD group for poor emotion regulation at age 3 years predicting age 5 years emotional problems and age 5 years emotional problems predicting age 7 years emotion regulation difficulties. Stronger reciprocal cross-lag effects were also observed in the rDLD group between peer and emotional problems at ages 3 and 5 years. No significant group differences were found in adolescence. Conclusions Poor emotion regulation makes a small but significant contribution to later peer and emotional difficulties, and this relationship is stronger in children at rDLD. Early reciprocal peer and emotional difficulties are also stronger in the rDLD group, but these effects dissipate in midchildhood. Nevertheless, the consistent relationship between early emotion regulation difficulties and socioemotional problems throughout development warrants further investigation in individuals with lower language skills. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12142059.

Parent–Teacher Relations, Parental Self-Efficacy, and Parents’ Help-Seeking From Teachers About Children’s Learning and Socio-Emotional Problems

In light of the backdrop of change processes within the education system in recent years, including the enlarging of school boundaries and parents’ increasing involvement in school life, this study aspired to understand how parents perceive parent–teacher relations alongside their self-efficacy as influencing their help-seeking from teachers in two main dimensions: learning and socio-emotional. Using the quantitative method, 192 Israeli parents answered a questionnaire measuring parent–teacher relations, parental self-efficacy, help-seeking orientation from teachers, and socio-economic status. Regression analysis found that help-seeking in the socio-emotional dimension was mainly influenced by collaborative relations and by parents’ high self-efficacy. Help-seeking in the learning dimension was mainly (but not only) influenced by parents’ socio-economic status. In addition, positive significant correlations were found between parent–teacher collaborative relations and autonomic help-seeking from teachers by parents dealing with both learning and socio-emotional aspects. Negative significant correlation was found between collaborative parent–teacher relations and parents’ avoidance of help-seeking from teachers. The results highlight the importance of teacher–parent collaboration and illuminate the factors influencing parents to ask for help from teachers, in different dimensions.

Socioemotional functioning with facial paralysis: Is there a congenital or acquired advantage?

Facial paralysis (FP) may impact emotional clarity, attachment, stigma, anxiety, and depression. The distinction between being born with it or acquiring it later may prompt developmental differences with consequences into adulthood, yet this has not been systematically studied. Two competing hypotheses were tested. First, the acquired advantage hypothesis states facial expression early in development plays a crucial role in socioemotional functioning, perhaps via facial feedback, and people with acquired FP would function better. Second, the congenital advantage hypothesis states impaired facial expression during early development promotes adaptation for socioemotional functioning, and people with congenital FP would function better. Adults with congenital (n = 112) or acquired (n = 434) FP completed survey measures of emotional clarity, attachment security, stigma, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms. One-sample t tests showed that congenital and acquired participants had greater anxiety, depression, and stigma compared with the measures' norm data, and only acquired participants had more problems with emotional clarity and attachment than norms. ANCOVAs indicated that acquired, compared with congenital, participants had greater problems with emotional clarity, anxiety, and depression, controlling for age, gender, and FP severity. Hierarchical multiple regressions found that stigma, emotional clarity problems, younger age, insecure attachment, and acquired onset predicted anxiety and depression. People with FP, especially acquired FP, are at greater risk of socioemotional problems, yet no interventions exist. Contrary to work suggesting that facial feedback is crucial for socioemotional development, results suggest that those born with FP are better adapted than those who acquire it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Child Maltreatment and Resilience: The Promotive and Protective Role of Future Orientation.

Maltreatment is associated with risk for a wide range of socio-emotional and behavioral problems in adolescence. Despite this risk, many maltreated youth adjust well through the process of resilience. Extant research demonstrates that future orientation is linked to reduced risks for maladjustment in adolescence. Few studies, however, have tested the protective and promotive role of future orientation using positive and negative developmental outcomes among maltreated youth. The present study aimed to investigate the promotive and moderating role of future orientation among a longitudinal sample of maltreated and demographically comparable non-maltreated youth (N = 1354, 51.5% female, 53.2% African American). Data collected from Time 1 (Mage = 4.56, SDage = 0.70) to Time 8 (Mage = 18.514, SDage = 0.615) were used. Compared to the non-maltreated youth, maltreated youth showed increased delinquent behaviors and reduced self-esteem. In addition, future orientation significantly predicted higher levels of social competence and attenuated the adverse effects of maltreatment on youth delinquency and substance use. The findings highlight the role of future orientation in the development of resilience among maltreated youth, bearing significant contributions to prevention and intervention programs designed to protect youth against risks linked to child maltreatment and promote their positive development.

Cognitive readiness to parent, stability and change in postpartum parenting stress and social-emotional problems in early childhood: A second order growth curve model

Parenting stress (PS) is prospectively associated with children’s lowered socio-emotional functioning; however, little is known about the antecedents and consequences of changes in postpartum parenting stress and its relationship to problematic behaviors in early childhood. This research examined the longitudinal relationships between multiple measures of cognitive readiness to parent, parenting stress (initial level and growth) and child social-emotional competence at age 3. It was hypothesized that lack of cognitive readiness to parent would predict initial level and growth in PS and that initial level and change in parenting stress would, in turn, would be related to poor social-emotional development. Cognitive readiness to parent was assessed at baseline shortly after childbirth; parenting stress, conceptualized as difficult child, parent-child dysfunction and parental distress, was assessed at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months postpartum (i.e. when children were 6 months, 1, 2 and 3 years of age) using the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995); children’s socio-emotional functioning was assessed with behavioral rating scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II) (BSID-II; Bayley, 1993) which was administered by professionals at age 3. Using a second order growth curve, or curve-of-factors model, the study’s hypotheses were tested with data from the Predicting and Preventing Neglect in Teen Mothers Study (2001–2007), a longitudinal study of 682 first-time mothers. Results from the latent growth curve analyses demonstrated that parenting stress predicted child socio-emotional problems. Specifically, mothers who began parenthood with high stress levels had children with lower levels of pro-social functioning (i.e. more behavior problems). Two measures of cognitive readiness to parent were associated with lower levels of postpartum PS at baseline but social support moderated the relationship between readiness to parent and parenting stress. Implications for interventions aimed at identifying families with children at risk for emotional and developmental problems and/or new parents who demonstrate changes in parenting stress during the postpartum period are discussed in context.

Exploring Trajectories of Young Mothers’ Parenting Stress in Early Childhood: Associations with Protective Factors and Psychological Vulnerabilities

SYNOPSIS Objective . Most parents manage some degree of parenting stress without serious concerns, but young mothers experience parenting stress at higher levels than adult mothers; high parenting stress is problematic due to its association with children’s socioemotional and behavior problems and the increased likelihood of maltreatment. Understanding the circumstances that precipitate or mitigate parents’ stress can have lasting impacts for child well-being. Extant research fails to account for both longitudinal and individual variation in young mothers’ parenting stress, leading to equivocal findings about the nature of mothers’ parenting stress trajectories across early childhood. Design . The present study used growth mixture modeling (GMM) to model the trajectories of 544 first-time young mothers’ parenting stress from children’s infancy to school-age. We considered how protective factors (i.e., social support) and psychological vulnerabilities (i.e., depression) experienced during the transition to parenthood were associated with parenting stress trajectories and variation within trajectories when children were of school-age. Results . GMM identified three trajectories of parenting stress: “low stable”, “high increasing”, and “high decreasing.” Protective factors were related to low and decreasing patterns of parenting stress, whereas psychological vulnerabilities were associated with higher parenting stress patterns. Conclusions . This study has implications for programs and services that help young mothers cope with the demands of parenting and reduce parenting stress.

Emotional development in preschoolers and socialization

ABSTRACT This work aims to determine the relationship between the emotional development variables and later adaptation in society for preschoolers living in Omdurman, Sudan. The secondary objective is to study the socio-emotional problems the 4-year-old boys and girls coming from families with different structure deal with. The article is based on a study that involved 300 children aged 4–5 years, attending Omdurman twon kindergartens. The children’s emotion knowledge was measured through the Emotion Matching Task and the social competence was measured using the shortened version of the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation scale, introduced by LaFreniere. The research results may be utilized for the creation of emotional development programmes for Sudan kindergartens. These findings allow preventing the development of abnormal behavioural tendencies, which are linked to the emotional intelligence, social adaptation, and anxiety in preschoolers.

Spatial Network Connectivity and Spatial Reasoning Ability in Children with Nonverbal Learning Disability

Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD) is characterized by deficits in visual-spatial, but not verbal, reasoning. Nevertheless, the functioning of the neural circuits supporting spatial processing have yet to be assessed in children with NVLD. We compared the resting state functional connectivity of a spatial brain network among children with NVLD, children with reading disorder (RD), and typically developing (TD) children. Seventy-five participants (7–15 years old) were included in the study (20 TD, 24 NVLD, and 31 RD). Group differences in global efficiency and functional connectivity among 12 regions comprising a previously defined spatial network were evaluated. Associations with behavior were explored. Global efficiency of the spatial network associated positively with spatial ability and inversely with socioemotional problems. Within the spatial network, associations between left posterior cingulate (PCC) and right retrosplenial cortical activity were reduced in children with NVLD relative to those without spatial deficits (RD and TD). Connectivity between left PCC and right posterior cerebellum (Crus I and II) was reduced in both groups of children with learning disabilities (NVLD and RD) relative to TD children. Functional connectivity of the spatial network was atypically associated with cognitive and socioemotional performance in children with NVLD. Identifying a neurobiological substrate for NVLD provides evidence that it is a discrete clinical entity and suggests targets for treatment.

The specifics of the doctor-patient relationship in the system of neonatological and pediatric care and the areas of psychological work

«Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Психология» — научно-теоретический рецензируемый журнал, публикующий оригинальные статьи по различным отраслям психологической науки и адресованный профессиональному психологическому сообществу, а также ученым, работающим в смежных областях.

A Study of the Long-Term Influence of Early Childhood Education and Care on the Risk for Developing Special Educational Needs

Specialized preschool programs can enhance the development of vulnerable young children at risk of special educational needs (SEN). Less is known about the potential of early childhood education and care (ECEC) provided for the general population. This study includes 2,857 children attending 141 ECEC centres in England and 310 with no ECEC. ECEC quality and effectiveness were assessed. Children’s scores on assessments of cognitive development, numeracy, and literacy, and teacher reports of socio-emotional problems at ages 5, 7, 11, and 16 years were used to identify risk of SEN (1 standard deviation beyond the mean). Trend analyses (none vs. low, medium, and high ECEC quality or effectiveness) examined impact of ECEC on risk for cognitive or socio-emotional SEN. Better quality and more effective ECEC reduced risk of cognitive SEN at 5, 11, and 16 years of age, with similar results for socio-emotional SEN. The discussion considers the consistency of the association between children’s ECEC experience and risk for SEN, which is found for alternative measures of ECEC, quality derived from observations and effectiveness derived from progress in child outcomes. These different sources for the ECEC measures add credibility to the results. Also the implications for policy and practice are discussed including the recommendation for universal provision of high quality ECEC and ensuring that the most at-risk populations receive the best ECEC available.

Sleep problems mediate the relationship between chronotype and socioemotional problems during early development

Sleep problems mediate the relationship between chronotype and socioemotional problems during early development

Making it together: a service evaluation of creative families: an arts and mental health partnership

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate a collaborative intervention between an art and health service. Method This two-year early intervention initiative was comprised of six, ten-week long interlinked artist-led workshop programmes for groups of parents and their children. The number of participants that completed the intervention was 36; however, data were only collected for 22 due to having hard-to-reach participants. This evaluation used a within-subjects repeated measures pre and post design using scores from validated rating scales. Feedback interviews were also carried out over the phone. Results There were significant decreases in parental depression (r = −.5), anxiety (r = −.54) and stress (r = −.58). Socio-emotional problems of the children significantly decreased (r = −.37), however the parents’ perception of competency slightly decreased but was not-significant. Despite this, parents’ perception of self-efficacy increased after the Creative Families intervention (r = .17). Interview data showed that parents’ sense of isolation decreased, increased their self-confidence and that they were able to utilise what they had learnt at home. Discussion The project’s impact is understood in the context of the participants’ personal and social circumstances, many were living with complex problems and seen as being hard to reach. The research indicates a need for inter-agency and preventative interventions.

Tell Me a Story: Socio-Emotional Functioning, Well-Being and Problematic Smartphone Use in Adolescents With Specific Learning Disabilities.

Although Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) are described as specific difficulties in one or more academic areas, often socio-emotional problems are also reported to be related to well-being and school engagement. Moreover, recent evidence shows that emotional problems and reduced social support predict problematic use of new technologies, such as a smartphone, that can, in turn, increase these problems. In this study, we aimed to investigate socio-emotional functioning and its relation to well-being, school engagement, and problematic smartphone use. Social and emotional skills of 19 adolescents with a diagnosis of SLD and 19 control adolescents were assessed through a narrative test; adolescents were requested to narrate complete stories elicited by pictures representing social situations. Information on well-being and problematic smartphone use were collected through questionnaires. The comparison between groups showed differences in cognitive-social skills, although no significant differences in emotional functioning were found. Additionally, the perception of the social environment as supportive and trustworthy was related to general well-being for both groups, whereas the perception of limits and rules set by the adult world appeared to be related to a decreased investment in learning processes only for the SLD students. Finally, correlation analysis showed that smartphone use was associated with reduced perception of social support and to a decreased ability to understand and solve social situations. These results assert the critical role played by social information processing and social support in terms of well-being in adolescence, and contribute to enhancing knowledge of the mechanisms underlying problematic smartphone use in a clinical sample.

SOCIO-EMOCIONALNI PROBLEMI I PROBLEMI U PONAŠANJU DECE PREDŠKOLSKOG UZRASTA I MOGUĆNOSTI INTERVENCIJE

Broj dece koja imaju socijalne i emocionalne poteškoće konstantno raste. Socio-emocionalni problemi i problemi u ponašanju mogu predstavljati rizik za pojavu ozbiljnijih poremećaja u kasnijem životu. Pored toga, deca sa problemima u ponašanju i nedovoljno razvijenim socio-emocionalnim kompetencijama imaju tendenciju da se teže uključuju u vršnjačku interakciju, a ponekad su čak isključena iz socijalnih aktivnosti. Mnoga deca sa osnovnim socio-emocionalnim problemima i problemima u ponašanju kojima nedostaje formalna dijagnoza, kao što su npr. poremećaji autističnog spektra, ne dobijaju nužno nikakvu pomoć ili intervenciju, dok istovremeno predstavljaju izazov sa kojim ni roditelji ni vaspitači ne mogu da se nose. Deca su tako izložena riziku i zbog toga se čini neophodnim istražiti i razumeti koje su moguće intervencije za podršku socijalnom i emocionalnom razvoju dece predškolskog uzrasta. Intervencija na predškolskom uzrastu može biti usmerena na roditelje kroz različite programe podrške, edukacijem kao i na decu putem obuke, u vidu različitih oblika intervencija zasnovanih na igri; ali, istovremeno i na roditelje i na decu.

Attention Modification to Attenuate Facial Emotion Recognition Deficits in Children with Autism: A Pilot Study.

Diminished attending to faces may contribute to the impairments in emotion recognition and expression in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study evaluated the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of an attention modification intervention designed to attenuate deficits in facial emotion recognition (FER). During the 10-session experimental treatment, children (n = 8) with ASD watched dynamic videos of people expressing different emotions with the facial features highlighted to guide children's attention. Children and their parents generally rated the treatment as acceptable and helpful. Although FER improvement was not apparent on task-based measures, parents reported slight improvements and decreased socioemotional problems following treatment. Results suggest that further research on visual attention retraining for ASD, within an experimental therapeutic program, may be promising.

Association of prenatal attachment and early childhood emotional, behavioral, and developmental characteristics: A longitudinal study.

This study examines the associations between prenatal attachment and child development, socioemotional behavioral problems, and competence at early childhood. It also inquires whether maternal depression and anxiety at the prenatal period and at early childhood are associated with child outcomes. The study consisted of 83 mothers and their children. Data regarding the prenatal attachment, depression, and anxiety were collected during Weeks 28 to 40 of gestation. When the children were 21 to 31 months old, the Brief Infant and Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) and the Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory (ADSI) were applied to children along with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) administered to mothers. Results showed that prenatal attachment scores significantly correlated with BITSEA-Competency subscale scores and ADSI total scores at early childhood, r(83)=0.246, P=.025, and r(82)=0.316, P=.004, respectively. Prenatal attachment levels were found to be the predictors of both behavioral and emotional competence and development at early childhood, b=0.081, t(83)=2.273, P=.014, and b=0.281, t(83)=3.225, P=.002, respectively. In addition, prenatal attachment was shown to be even a stronger predictor of development than was worsening maternal depression at early childhood, b=-0.319, t(83)=2.140, P=.035. Our results indicate that fostering prenatal attachment may be beneficial for better infant outcomes at early childhood.

Perinatal maternal mental health and infant socio-emotional development: A growth curve analysis using the MPEWS cohort

Pregnancy and the early post partum period are widely understood as a critical period for the infant’s emotional development and the earliest influence shaping social interaction. The present study aims to understand the potential influence of both antenatal and postnatal maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms on socio-emotional outcomes in offspring aged 12 months. The study used longitudinal data from a prospective cohort study on Australian pregnant women and their children. Data were available for 282 mothers and their children. Maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured in early pregnancy, trimester three of pregnancy, six and 12 months postpartum. Social and emotional development in children was measured using the Brief Infant and Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) at 12 months. Using growth curve analysis of 4 waves of repeated measurement to examine intercept and slope, we found that both initial maternal depression and anxiety symptom levels, and the growth of these symptoms over time, predicted more problems with children’s social and emotional development. In the final model anxiety accounted for 19% of the variance in child socio-emotional problems and depression 23% of variance. The results emphasise the importance of perinatal maternal mental health as a potential risk factor for child development. This carries important implications for policy development, such as the need to build early identification and early intervention models in to the current clinical practice for perinatal care, specifically, to develop targeted screening, assessment and interventions to address maternal mental health issues for at-risk parents during pregnancy, and continuing monitoring of young children whose mothers have experienced perinatal mental health difficulties.

Assessing the Severity of Concerns About Preschool Children’s Self-Regulation of Attention, Behavior, and Emotions Using the ABLE Universal Screener: A Rasch Analysis

Discerning the seriousness of socioemotional symptoms in young children can be difficult. To address this issue, the Attention, Behavior, Language, and Emotions (ABLE) universal behavioral health screener uses a rubric for severity that includes indicators of problem duration, impairment, generalizability, exacerbation, persistence, peer comparison, and need for professional intervention. This report examines whether this rubric can be treated as a unidimensional scale across respondents and problem types and streamlined for more efficient screening. Head Start teachers and parents ( N = 2,643) reported socioemotional, attentional, behavioral, and language problems. Rasch analyses confirmed that the ABLE severity scale is unidimensional but the coherence of severity indicators differed by respondents. Consequently, greater precision in establishing clinical significance can be achieved by weighting severity items differentially for teachers and parents.