Children’s Behaviour and Social-Emotional Competence

Dear Colleagues,

Emotional and behavioural difficulties are one of the most prevalent problems in childhood and adolescence, have a broad impact on mental health and well-being, and may lead to adverse outcomes across one’s lifetime. The literature on this subject provides evidence on the importance of individual and contextual factors which, along with risk factors, interact and may increase vulnerability to the development of psychological health problems. In parallel, there are other factors which may protect against the development of these problems across the course of a lifetime.

Social-emotional competences (SECs) are one of the main factors involved in positive development in childhood and adolescence, and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to expand our knowledge on how to reduce risk factors and promote protective ecosystems. SECs in childhood and adolescence are related to fewer emotional and behavioural problems, more prosocial behaviours, a higher level of engagement in school life, and higher levels of academic achievement, which are predictors of resilience and psychological well-being.

Aligned with Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 4 (Quality of Education), and 10 (Reducing Inequalities) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Agenda, this Special Issue aims at expanding our knowledge on behaviour and SECs together with related risk, vulnerability, and protective factors, addressing theoretical–methodological aspects and disseminating empirical studies from different countries.

We welcome qualitative or quantitative contributions from authors whose basic or applied research focuses on this topic, inviting them to share their findings, perspectives, and approaches, so that we can provide a comprehensive framework which can contribute to guide research and improve knowledge on key topics within this field.

We hope that this Special Issue will collect contributions from theoretical, practical, and methodological perspectives from experts in the area. We also encourage researchers from all disciplines of psychology and related disciplines to join us in this endeavour.

Prof. Dr. Marina Carvalho
Prof. Dr. Cecilia Essau
Dr. Cátia Branquinho
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• social-emotional competence
• behaviour
• emotional problems
• behavioural problems
• positive youth development
• resilience
• mental health
• well-being
• learning outcomes
• vulnerability factors
• protective factors
• evidence-based interventions
• public health programs
• assessment
• childhood
• adolescence