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Bezborodovs Ņ, Krēgers R, Vētra L, Rancāns E, Villeruša A. Psychometric properties and normative data of the Latvian and Russian language versions of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) in the Latvian general adolescent population. Nord J Psychiatry 2024; 78:301-311. [PMID: 38421351 DOI: 10.1080/08039488.2024.2319662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Mental health screening instruments are essential in population health research and clinical practice. The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) self-report version has been widely used across the globe to screen for mental health problems in adolescent populations. This study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the Latvian and Russian language versions of the SDQ in a representative sample of a general population of Latvian adolescents and establish the population-based normative scores. MATERIALS AND METHODS This analysis was based on data from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study year 2017/2018 Latvian database. The sample comprised 2683 Latvian and 1321 Russian-speaking 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old adolescents. RESULTS Significant language-based variance was observed in the mean scores of the externalising subscales of the SDQ, with Latvian-speaking adolescents reporting higher levels of conduct problems and hyperactivity. The reliability was satisfactory (ordinal alpha >0.7) only for the prosocial behaviour, emotional, internalising problems, and total difficulties subscales, while conduct, hyperactivity, peer, and externalising problems scales demonstrated lower internal consistency (ordinal alpha 0.5-0.7). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) did not support the hypothesised narrow-band five-factor or broad-band three-factor structure of the SDQ. The normative banding scores were calculated for both language variants. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the self-report SDQ must be used cautiously in Latvian adolescents because some SDQ subscales lack reliability. When used in population research, the internalising subscales seem more reliable than the externalising ones. More research is needed regarding the reliability of the SDQ in clinical adolescent populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ņikita Bezborodovs
- Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Faculty of Medicine, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia
- Child and Youth Mental Health Centre, Children's Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia
| | - Rūdolfs Krēgers
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Physics, Mathematics and Optometry, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
| | - Lelde Vētra
- Child and Youth Mental Health Centre, Children's Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia
| | - Elmārs Rancāns
- Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Faculty of Medicine, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia
| | - Anita Villeruša
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health and Social Welfare, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia
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Iglesias‐Vázquez L, Canals J, Hernández‐Martínez C, Voltas N, Arija V. Prenatal iron supplementation adjusted to maternal iron stores reduces behavioural problems in 4-year-old children. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2024; 20:e13595. [PMID: 38041537 PMCID: PMC10750013 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal iron supplementation improves children's health and cognitive performance, but few studies explore behavioural development. This study assessed the effects of adjusting prenatal iron supplementation to maternal iron stores during early pregnancy on children's behavioural problems. Randomized controlled trial conducted in Tarragona (Spain) involving 230 nonanaemic pregnant women and their children after a 4-year follow-up. Based on haemoglobin (Hb) levels before gestational week (GW) 12, women receive different iron doses: those with Hb = 110-130 g/L were randomized to receive 80 or 40 mg/day and those with Hb > 130 g/L were randomized to receive 20 or 40 mg/day. Maternal iron stores at GW12 were classified using serum ferritin (SF) as low (SF < 15 µg/L), normal (SF = 15-65 µg/L), and normal-high (SF > 65 µg/L). Children's behaviour was assessed by parents using the Child Behaviour Checklist for ages 1.5-5 years and the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version, and by teachers using the Teacher's Report Form for ages 1.5-5 years. Multivariable regression models were performed. Taking 80 mg/day of iron improved child behaviour when women had low iron stores but worsened it when mothers had normal-high iron stores, except for depressive and attention/hyperactivity problems. Taking 20 mg/day of iron improved behaviour only in those children whose mothers had SF > 65 µg/L in early pregnancy. Additionally, executive functioning improved at high doses of prenatal iron when maternal baseline SF < 15 µg/L. Adjusting prenatal iron supplementation to both maternal baseline Hb levels and iron stores reduces behavioural problems in 4-year-old children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Iglesias‐Vázquez
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Nutrition and Mental Health (NUTRISAM) Research GroupUniversitat Rovira I VirgiliReusSpain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria Pere Virgili (IISPV)ReusSpain
| | - Josefa Canals
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Nutrition and Mental Health (NUTRISAM) Research GroupUniversitat Rovira I VirgiliReusSpain
- Department of Psychology, Research Centre for Behavioral Assessment (CRAMC), Faculty of Education Sciences and PsychologyUniversitat Rovira I VirgiliTarragonaSpain
| | - Carmen Hernández‐Martínez
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Nutrition and Mental Health (NUTRISAM) Research GroupUniversitat Rovira I VirgiliReusSpain
- Department of Psychology, Research Centre for Behavioral Assessment (CRAMC), Faculty of Education Sciences and PsychologyUniversitat Rovira I VirgiliTarragonaSpain
| | - Núria Voltas
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Nutrition and Mental Health (NUTRISAM) Research GroupUniversitat Rovira I VirgiliReusSpain
- Department of Psychology, Research Centre for Behavioral Assessment (CRAMC), Faculty of Education Sciences and PsychologyUniversitat Rovira I VirgiliTarragonaSpain
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education Sciences and Psychology, Serra Húnter FellowUniversitat Rovira I VirgiliTarragonaSpain
| | - Victoria Arija
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Nutrition and Mental Health (NUTRISAM) Research GroupUniversitat Rovira I VirgiliReusSpain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitaria Pere Virgili (IISPV)ReusSpain
- Collaborative Research Group on Lifestyles, Nutrition, and Smoking (CENIT), Tarragona‐Reus Research Support UnitIDIAP Jordi GolTarragonaSpain
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Conte E, Cavioni V, Ornaghi V, Agliati A, Gandellini S, Santos MF, Santos AC, Simões C, Grazzani I. Supporting Preschoolers' Mental Health and Academic Learning through the PROMEHS Program: A Training Study. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:1070. [PMID: 37371301 DOI: 10.3390/children10061070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
There is compelling evidence that early school intervention programs enhance children's development of life skills, with a positive knock-on effect on their behaviors and academic outcomes. To date, most universal interventions have displayed gains in children's social-emotional competencies with a limited reduction in problem behaviors. This may depend on programs' curricula focused to a greater extent on preschoolers' social-emotional competencies rather than problem behaviors. Promoting Mental Health at Schools (PROMEHS) is a European, school-based, universal mental health program explicitly focused on both promoting students' mental health and preventing negative conduct by adopting a whole-school approach. In this study, we set out to evaluate the effectiveness of the program for Italian and Portuguese preschoolers. We recruited 784 children (age range = 4-5 years), assigning them to either an experimental group (six months' participation in the PROMEHS program under the guidance of their teachers, who had received ad hoc training) or a waiting list group (no intervention). We found that PROMEHS improved preschoolers' social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies, prosocial behavior, and academic outcomes. The more practical activities were carried out at school, the more children's SEL competencies increased, and the more their internalizing and externalizing behaviors decreased. Furthermore, marginalized and disadvantaged children were those who benefited most from the program, displaying both greater improvements in SEL and more marked decreases in internalizing problems compared to the rest of the sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Conte
- "R. Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Cavioni
- "R. Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
- Department of Humanities, Literature, Cultural Heritage, Education Sciences, University of Foggia, 71121 Foggia, Italy
| | - Veronica Ornaghi
- "R. Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Agliati
- "R. Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Sabina Gandellini
- "R. Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Margarida Frade Santos
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, 1495-751 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Anabela Caetano Santos
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, 1495-751 Lisbon, Portugal
- Environmental Health Institute (ISAMB), Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Celeste Simões
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, 1495-751 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ilaria Grazzani
- "R. Massa" Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
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Ștefan CA, Dănilă I, Cristescu D. Assessing the effectiveness and the mechanisms of the Social-Emotional Prevention Program for Preschoolers: Findings from a universal school-based intervention. J Sch Psychol 2023; 98:206-223. [PMID: 37253580 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsp.2023.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The Social-Emotional Prevention Program (SEP) encompasses a multifaceted approach (classroom curriculum, with teacher and parent training) intended to increase preschool children's social adjustment, as well as to reduce risk of emotional and behavioral problems. The present study's focus was on implementing the technology-assisted SEP version and was aimed at (a) investigating the program's effectiveness on children's social-emotional competencies and parental practices, as well as (b) testing the program's conceptual framework, with an emphasis on children's emotion regulation (ER) skills and parental emotion socialization practices as explanatory intervention mechanisms. A randomized-controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with five schools assigned to either the intervention or to a comparison condition (wait-list control). Structural equation models (SEM) and complier average causal effects (CACE) were conducted to evaluate SEP effectiveness on teacher- and parent-rated child outcomes (primary outcomes) and parenting behaviors (secondary outcomes). Findings from the present study indicated that (a) SEP fosters increased social-emotional competencies and increased use of adaptive ER strategies, with teacher and parent ratings converging to support these outcomes; (b) parental participation in the program increased the use of reappraisal and emotion coaching strategies; and (c) children's ER mediated the intervention's effect on social competence, whereas parental coaching and parental ER mediated SEP effects on children's ER. This study's findings suggest that the SEP may be an effective universal intervention for promoting preschoolers' social-emotional competence and may provide emerging evidence to support the program's hypothesized mechanisms of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catrinel A Ștefan
- Department of Psychology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 37 Republicii Street, Cluj-Napoca 400015, Romania.
| | - Ingrid Dănilă
- Department of Psychology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 37 Republicii Street, Cluj-Napoca 400015, Romania.
| | - Delia Cristescu
- Department of Psychology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 37 Republicii Street, Cluj-Napoca 400015, Romania; Department of Psychology, Ion Creangă State Pedagogical University, 1 Ion Creangă Street, Chișinău MD-2069, Republic of Moldova.
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Martinsone B, Žydžiūnaite V. Teachers' contributions to the school climate and using empathy at work: implications from qualitative research in two European countries. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1160546. [PMID: 37151320 PMCID: PMC10159061 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1160546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
This research aimed to reveal the factors that, based on their experiences, teachers consider important in their contribution to a positive school climate and in their relationship with students when it comes to using empathy. Teachers from two European countries-Latvia (n = 83) and Lithuania (n = 69)-participated in the research. Data were collected through focus group-based interviews and analyzed using latent qualitative content analysis. The results revealed the teachers' shared understanding of the importance of communication and professional development. However, only Lithuanian teachers emphasized strengthening institutional values and other more collectivistic aspects; the answers of Latvian teachers were specific and suggested more of an individualistic attitude, like allocating personal responsibility to use appropriate instructional strategies. This study draws attention to contextual and cultural factors of teachers' work and actualizes their educational needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baiba Martinsone
- Department of Psychology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
- *Correspondence: Baiba Martinsone,
| | - Vilma Žydžiūnaite
- Educational Research Institute, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania
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Alonso-Vargas JM, Melguizo-Ibáñez E, Puertas-Molero P, Salvador-Pérez F, Ubago-Jiménez JL. Relationship between Learning and Psychomotor Skills in Early Childhood Education. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:16835. [PMID: 36554716 PMCID: PMC9779624 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Psychomotor skills are, among others, an aspect particularly valuable for structuring the teaching-learning process of infant schoolchildren. For this reason, a study was carried out with the aim of describing and comparing the socio-demographic, psychomotor, and learning levels of schoolchildren in the second stage of infant education. Ninety-five pupils from the second cycle of infant education in the capital of Granada took part in this study. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the movement assessment battery for children-2 (MABC-2), and the preschool learning behaviour scale (PLBS) were used to collect data. The main results show that manual dexterity appears as the main motor factor and similar figures in the three dimensions of learning behaviours. On the other hand, balance and learning behaviours were higher in 6-year-old schoolchildren. In terms of gender, girls obtained higher values for the level of the learning behaviour variables. A positive correlation was found between the dimensions of learning and motor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Manuel Alonso-Vargas
- Faculty of Education Sciences, Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Eduardo Melguizo-Ibáñez
- Faculty of Education Sciences, Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Pilar Puertas-Molero
- Faculty of Education Sciences, Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | | | - José Luis Ubago-Jiménez
- Faculty of Education Sciences, Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
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Bezborodovs Ņ, Kočāne A, Rancāns E, Villeruša A. Clinical Utility of the Parent-Report Version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in Latvian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Practice. Medicina (B Aires) 2022; 58:medicina58111599. [PMID: 36363556 PMCID: PMC9694199 DOI: 10.3390/medicina58111599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Screening instruments can be crucial in child and adolescent mental healthcare practice by allowing professionals to triage the patient flow in a limited resource setting and help in clinical decision making. Our study aimed to examine whether the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), with the application of the original UK-based scoring algorithm, can reliably detect children and adolescents with different mental disorders in a clinical population sample. Materials and Methods: a total of 363 outpatients aged 2 to 17 years from two outpatient child psychiatry centres in Latvia were screened with the parent-report version of the SDQ and assigned clinical psychiatric diagnoses. The ability of the SDQ to predict the clinical diagnosis in major diagnostic groups (emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, and developmental disorders) was assessed. Results: The subscales of the parent-report SDQ showed a significant correlation with the corresponding clinical diagnoses. The sensitivity of the SDQ ranged 65–78%, and the specificity was 57–78%. The discriminative ability of the SDQ, as measured by the diagnostic odds ratio, did not quite reach the level of clinical utility in specialised psychiatric settings. Conclusions: We suggest the SDQ be used in primary healthcare settings, where it can be an essential tool to help family physicians recognise children needing further specialised psychiatric evaluation. There is a need to assess the psychometric properties and validate the SDQ in a larger populational sample in Latvia, determine the population-specific cut-off scores, and reassess the performance of the scale in primary healthcare practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ņikita Bezborodovs
- Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Rīga Stradiņš University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
- Child Psychiatry Clinic, Children’s Clinical University Hospital, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +371-28343256
| | - Arta Kočāne
- Child Psychiatry Clinic, Children’s Clinical University Hospital, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
| | - Elmārs Rancāns
- Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Rīga Stradiņš University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
| | - Anita Villeruša
- Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Rīga Stradiņš University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
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Širvinskienė G, Antinienė D, Griciūtė A, Dulksnienė L, Asisi V, Kregždytė R, Kerbl V, Amtmann E. Effectiveness of the ELLA Training for the Promotion of Emotional and Social Competences in Lithuanian Preschool Children. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12195. [PMID: 36231494 PMCID: PMC9566691 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
By developing the emotional and social competences of children of preschool age, one can expect the prevention of emotional and behavioral problems and a better social and academic adaptation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the ELLA training for the promotion of emotional and social competences in 3-6-year-old children in preschool education institutions in Lithuania. In total, 140 children aged 3-6 years participated in the quasi-experimental study, of which 86 children were assigned to the experimental group and 54 were assigned to the control group. Children of the experimental group were given a modified program-the ELLA training for the promotion of emotional and social competences. Children's emotional and social competences were assessed before and after the program. The EMK 3-6 inventory (germ. Inventar zur Erfassung Emotionaler Kompetenzen bei Drei-bis Sechsjährigen, EMK 3-6) was used to conduct a questionnaire survey of teachers and to carry out an individual assessment performed by psychologists in order to assess the children's competences. The ELLA training significantly improved children's emotional and social competences. Based on the teachers' assessment, the children's self-regulation abilities improved, and based on the children's individual assessment conducted by psychologists, the application of the program resulted in the improvement of the children's primary emotions, secondary emotions, and prosocial behavior competences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giedrė Širvinskienė
- Department of Health Psychology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
- Health Research Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Dalia Antinienė
- Department of Health Psychology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Aušra Griciūtė
- Department of Health Psychology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Liudmila Dulksnienė
- Department of Languages and Education, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Jankaus g. 2, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Vaidilutė Asisi
- Department of Health Psychology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
- Autism Therapy Center of the Vkkj, The Sonnwendviertel Outpatient Clinic, Maria Lassnig Street 2, 1100 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rima Kregždytė
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Verena Kerbl
- Department of Health Psychology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
- Department of Education Sciences, Private University College of Teacher Education Augustinum, Lange Gasse 2, 8020 Graz, Austria
| | - Elfriede Amtmann
- Department of Health Psychology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės 18, 47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
- Department of Education Sciences, Private University College of Teacher Education Augustinum, Lange Gasse 2, 8020 Graz, Austria
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9
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Anthony CJ, Elliott SN, Yost M, Lei PW, DiPerna JC, Cefai C, Camilleri L, Bartolo PA, Grazzani I, Ornaghi V, Cavioni V, Conte E, Vorkapić ST, Poulou M, Martinsone B, Simões C, Colomeischi AA. Multi-informant validity evidence for the SSIS SEL Brief Scales across six European countries. Front Psychol 2022; 13:928189. [PMID: 35983195 PMCID: PMC9380595 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.928189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The SSIS SEL Brief Scales (SSIS SELb) are multi-informant (teacher, parent, and student) measures that were developed to efficiently assess the SEL competencies of school-age youth in the United States. Recently, the SSIS SELb was translated into multiple languages for use in a multi-site study across six European countries (Croatia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, and Romania). The purpose of the current study was to examine concurrent and predictive evidence for the SEL Composite scores from the translated versions of the SSIS SELb Scales. Results indicated that SSIS SELb Composite scores demonstrated expected positive concurrent and predictive relationships with scores from the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and negative relationships with scores from the problem behavior scales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Although there were a few exceptions, these patterns generally were consistent across informants (parents, teachers, and students) and samples providing initial validity evidence for the Composite score from the translated versions of the SSIS SELb Scales. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Anthony
- School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Stephen N. Elliott
- Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Michayla Yost
- School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Pui-Wa Lei
- Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - James C. DiPerna
- Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Carmel Cefai
- Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Liberato Camilleri
- Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Paul A. Bartolo
- Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Ilaria Grazzani
- Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Veronica Ornaghi
- Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Cavioni
- Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Conte
- Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Maria Poulou
- Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | | | - Celeste Simões
- Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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Martinsone B, Stokenberga I, Damberga I, Supe I, Simões C, Lebre P, Canha L, Santos M, Santos AC, Fonseca AM, Santos D, Gaspar de Matos M, Conte E, Agliati A, Cavioni V, Gandellini S, Grazzani I, Ornaghi V, Camilleri L. Adolescent social emotional skills, resilience and behavioral problems during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study in three European countries. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:942692. [PMID: 35978848 PMCID: PMC9376252 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.942692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives The consequences of long-lasting restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have become a topical question in the latest research. The present study aims to analyze longitudinal changes in adolescents' social emotional skills, resilience, and behavioral problems. Moreover, the study addresses the impact of adolescents' social emotional learning on changes in their resilience and behavioral problems over the course of seven months of the pandemic. Methods The Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2) measuring points were in October 2020 and May 2021, characterized by high mortality rates and strict restrictions in Europe. For all three countries combined, 512 questionnaires were answered by both adolescents (aged 11-13 and 14-16 years) and their parents. The SSIS-SEL and SDQ student self-report and parent forms were used to evaluate adolescents' social emotional skills and behavioral problems. The CD-RISC-10 scale was administered to adolescents to measure their self-reported resilience. Several multilevel models were fitted to investigate the changes in adolescents' social emotional skills, resilience, and behavioral problems, controlling for age and gender. Correlation analysis was carried out to investigate how changes in the adolescents' social emotional skills were associated with changes in their resilience and mental health adjustment. Results Comparing T1 and T2 evaluations, adolescents claim they have more behavioral problems, have less social emotional skills, and are less prosocial than perceived by their parents, and this result applies across all countries and age groups. Both informants agree that COVID-19 had a negative impact, reporting an increment in the mean internalizing and externalizing difficulties scores and reductions in social emotional skills, prosocial behavior, and resilience scores. However, these changes are not very conspicuous, and most of them are not significant. Correlation analysis shows that changes in adolescents' social emotional skills are negatively and significantly related to changes in internalized and externalized problems and positively and significantly related to changes in prosocial behavior and resilience. This implies that adolescents who experienced larger development in social emotional learning also experienced more increase in resilience and prosocial behavior and a decrease in difficulties. Conclusion Due to its longitudinal design, sample size, and multi-informant approach, this study adds to a deeper understanding of the pandemic's consequences on adolescents' mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ilze Damberga
- Department of Psychology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
| | - Inga Supe
- Department of Psychology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
| | - Celeste Simões
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Environmental Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Paula Lebre
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Institute of Ethnomusicology (INET-MD), Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Lúcia Canha
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Environmental Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida Santos
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Anabela Caetano Santos
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Environmental Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana Marta Fonseca
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Dória Santos
- Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida Gaspar de Matos
- Environmental Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Social Adventure Association, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Elisabetta Conte
- “Riccardo Massa” Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Agliati
- “Riccardo Massa” Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Cavioni
- “Riccardo Massa” Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Sabina Gandellini
- “Riccardo Massa” Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Grazzani
- “Riccardo Massa” Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Veronica Ornaghi
- “Riccardo Massa” Department of Human Sciences for Education, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Liberato Camilleri
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
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