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Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood

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A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 22794

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Dr. Raul Navarro

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Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Humanities, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 16071 Cuenca, Spain
Interests: interpersonal violence; bullying; cyberbullying; gender-based violence; LGTBI+ studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Socio-emotional development refers to a person’s ability to understand the feelings of others, control their own feelings and behaviors, and establish positive relationships with other people. Socio-emotional developments drive an individual to communicate, connect with others, and, more importantly, help them resolve conflicts, gain self-confidence, and achieve their goals. In this sense, socio-emotional abilities are crucial throughout the entire life cycle to cooperate, fulfil basic psychological needs and experience higher satisfaction with life. Socio-emotional abilities develop from the first months of life in progressive complexity and in direct relation to the environment and experiences that surround us. Positive relationships during childhood with adults who provide affect and a secure base to explore the social environment are fundamental for a positive socio-emotional development. Research has shown that optimal socio-emotional development during early years is associated with the better development of social and cognitive skills; healthier adaptation to the school environment in terms of better academic achievement, motivation and social relationships; lower risk of behavioral problems such as aggressive behavior or isolation issues; and higher rates of general well-being, even into adulthood.

The present Special Issue aims to explore how socio-emotional development is associated with different positive and negative outcomes from childhood to adulthood. Our intention is to gather papers from different countries and incorporate analyses from several disciplines. We would like to encourage submissions describing research involving a wide range of social and individual variables. All kinds of papers are invited: conceptual, methodological, narrative reviews, systematic reviews, experimental research, findings based on survey data and qualitative studies. Cross-cultural comparative papers are particularly welcome, along with studies with populations from a variety of backgrounds with respect to socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, and other family conditions.

Submissions may address, but need not be limited to, the following topics:

Socialization practices and their influence on socio-emotional development;
Socio-emotional development in more vulnerable populations (e.g., LGBTIQ+ youth);
Ethnic and racial inequalities in socio-emotional difficulties;
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the family and social context;
Bullying and aggressive behaviors;
Positive social relationships;
Mental- and physical-health-related issues throughout the life span;
Disruptive behaviors;
Cooperation, peer acceptance and peer dominance;
Behaviors in virtual contexts;
Influence of interactions with pets for socio-emotional development;
Dating and marital relationships;
Intervention efforts to improve socio-emotional development.

Dr. Raul Navarro
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 459 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Association between Contextual Factors and Affordances in the Home Environment of Infants Exposed to Poverty

by Carolina Fioroni Ribeiro da Silva, Ana Luiza Righetto Greco, Denise Castilho Cabrera Santos, Giuseppina Sgandurra and Eloisa Tudella

Children 2023, 10(12), 1932; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10121932 - 15 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1017

Abstract

Home environments of infants exposed to poverty exhibit fewer affordances for child development. This study aimed to investigate the association between contextual factors and affordances in the home environments of infants facing poverty. Term infants (n = 128) were divided into two groups: (1) exposed group (EG), comprising term infants exposed to poverty, and (2) comparison group (CG), consisting of term infants classified with medium and high socio-economic status. The main dependent variables were physical space, variety of stimulation, gross and fine motor toys, and the total score; measured using the Brazilian version of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) questionnaire, named Affordances no Ambiente Domiciliar para o Desenvolvimento Motor-Escala Bebê. Statistical analysis employed independent sample t-tests or Mann–Whitney tests, chi-square tests, and stepwise multiple linear regression models to evaluate predictors of less adequate home environments. The EG presented significantly fewer affordances in gross motor toys (Cohen’s r = 0.353; p < 0.01); fine motor toys (Cohen’s r = 0.327; p < 0.01); and total score (Cohen’s r = 0.377; p < 0.01). Binary logistic regression analysis showed a significant association (r² = 0.828, p < 0.01) between the less than adequate home environment category and maternal age (p = 0.043, OR: 0.829 (0.692–0.994)), revealing that maternal age was associated with better quantity and quality of affordances for child development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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18 pages, 360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effectiveness of an Intervention Programme for Reducing Peer Rejection in Early Childhood Education

by Paula Molinero-González, Luis J. Martín-Antón, Miguel Á. Carbonero-Martín, Wendy L. Arteaga-Cedeño and José Luis Rodríguez-Sáez

Children 2023, 10(11), 1826; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10111826 - 19 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1410

Abstract

In the early years of schooling, peer groups are key to fostering students’ overall learning and development. Yet it has been found that around 10% of children suffer from peer rejection in the classroom, with this problem entailing negative consequences both in the short and long term. The problem proves difficult for adults to detect, which usually leads to a delay in measures being taken to intervene and prevent it. This study applies an experimental design with pre-test and post-test measurements in two groups—experimental and control—in order to address the problem of rejection in the early years of schooling. It explores aspects such as sociometric type, degree of victimisation, social and antisocial behaviour, as well as problematic situations among 637 students at six schools. We then implement an intervention programme for socioemotional competence throughout a school year in an effort to improve students’ social skills and relationships, focusing specifically on preventing and reducing the rejection experienced by some of these children. The programme comprises 35 teaching activities and strategies that promote the development of competences for student inclusion (curbing aggression, encouraging teamwork, fostering self-esteem, etc.) and that seek to involve all students, teachers, and relatives by offering an array of complementary resources that enrich the initiatives applied (a programme calendar, assessment notebook, questionnaires, related website, material resources). After the intervention programme, it was found that the experimental group had reduced the percentage of students who suffered rejection from 9.9% to 7.3%, although the same was not true of the control group, which went from 9.5% of rejected students to 10.2%. The reduction in the percentage of rejected students in the experimental group after the application of the programme is an encouraging result that invites us to continue working on more comprehensive interventions to prevent and reduce this phenomenon. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

12 pages, 282 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mothers’ and Children’s Mental Distress and Family Strain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study

by Janelle Boram Lee, Kharah M. Ross, Henry Ntanda, Kirsten M. Fiest, Nicole Letourneau and the APrON Study Team

Children 2023, 10(11), 1725; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10111725 - 24 Oct 2023

Viewed by 883

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a widespread impact on families with dependent children. To better understand the impact of the pandemic on families’ health and relationships, we examined the association between mothers’ and children’s mental distress and family strain. Methods: Three waves of the COVID-19 Impact Survey were analyzed, collected from a subsample of mother–child pairs (n = 157) from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) longitudinal cohort in Alberta, Canada. Latent class analyses were performed to determine patterns and group memberships in mothers’ and children’s mental distress and family strain. Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted to test associations between mothers’ and children’s mental distress and family strain trajectory classes. Results: Mothers with medium/high levels of mental distress were at increased odds of experiencing high family strain compared to those with low levels of distress (medium aOR = 3.90 [95% CI: 1.08–14.03]; high aOR = 4.57 [95% CI: 1.03–20.25]). The association between children’s mental distress and family strain was not significant (aOR = 1.75 [95% CI: 0.56–5.20]). Conclusion: Mothers’ mental distress, but not children’s, was associated with family strain during the pandemic. More distressed individuals experienced greater family strain over time, suggesting that this association may become a chronic problem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

13 pages, 2970 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Socio-Emotional Experiences and Wellbeing of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Their Parents before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Alanna N. Gillespie, Libby Smith, Daisy A. Shepherd, Jessica Xu, Rija Khanal and Valerie Sung

Children 2023, 10(7), 1147; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10071147 - 30 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1493

Abstract

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children in Victoria, Australia, were exposed to strict public health restrictions, including sustained lockdowns, during the COVID-19 pandemic. DHH children have higher health and socio-emotional needs than their hearing peers. We aimed to (1) describe the socio-emotional experiences of DHH children and their parents and (2) compare child and parent socio-emotional wellbeing, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between May and September 2020, 497 (62%) parents of DHH children from the Victorian Childhood Hearing Longitudinal Databank completed an online survey. Measures were drawn from the CoRonavIruS Health Impact Survey (CRISIS) v3.0. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics to compare outcomes before and during the pandemic. Parents reported their children to have more negative socio-emotional wellbeing (mean emotions/worries score, EWS, changed from 0.76 pre-pandemic to 1.10 during the pandemic, mean difference 0.34, 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.39), regardless of the type or severity of hearing loss. Parents also had more negative socio-emotional wellbeing (mean EWS changed from 1.05 pre-pandemic to 1.43 during the pandemic, mean difference 0.38, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.44). Negative socio-emotional experiences co-occurred with large social changes during the pandemic. Additional services should support the socio-emotional wellbeing of DHH children during significant adverse childhood experiences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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13 pages, 855 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bullying in Elementary Schools: Differences across Countries in the Persian Gulf

by Georgios Sideridis and Maisaa Alahmadi

Children 2023, 10(7), 1108; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10071108 - 25 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 968

Abstract

The current research aimed to examine the similarities and differences in bullying prevalence across the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Level tests require measurement invariance to be met before they can be performed. In 2019, 45k people participated and provided data for the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS). When the exact measurement invariance (MI) protocols failed, the alignment methodology was used to analyze the data. After ensuring measurement invariance via the free alignment method, findings revealed statistically significant differences in bullying prevalence; specifically, bullying levels were significantly lower in Saudi Arabia compared to all other countries. The United Arab Emirates ranked second, with the second-lowest bullying rates, which were also significantly lower compared to the rates in all the other countries. As a whole, Saudi Arabia had the lowest levels, followed by the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar. Although the absolute difference between Saudi Arabia and the other countries was only modest, further research into the causes, consequences, and preventative measures of bullying is warranted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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20 pages, 560 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Supporting Preschoolers’ Mental Health and Academic Learning through the PROMEHS Program: A Training Study

by Elisabetta Conte, Valeria Cavioni, Veronica Ornaghi, Alessia Agliati, Sabina Gandellini, Margarida Frade Santos, Anabela Caetano Santos, Celeste Simões and Ilaria Grazzani

Children 2023, 10(6), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10061070 - 16 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1530

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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20 pages, 661 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mother–Child and Father–Child Emotional Availability during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Maggie Dungan, Michael Lincoln, Stephen Aichele, Emma L. M. Clark, Ashley Harvey, Lillian Hoyer, Yuqin Jiao, Steffany Joslin, Frances Russell and Zeynep Biringen

Children 2023, 10(6), 1044; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10061044 - 11 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1120

Abstract

While the body of literature on COVID-19’s impacts on family life is rapidly expanding, most studies are based entirely on self-report data, leaving a critical gap in observational studies of parent–child interactions. The goal of this study was to evaluate parent–child relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic using the observational emotional availability (EA) construct. Parents (n = 43) were assessed using the Epidemic–Pandemic Impacts Inventory (EPII), the Flourishing Scale (FLS), and the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) questionnaires. The subcategories of the EPII were used to develop an EPII negative and an EPII positive for each parent. EA (sensitivity, structuring, nonhostility, nonintrusiveness, child responsiveness, and child involvement) was coded from filmed parent–child interactions. Separate hierarchical multiple regressions (HMRs) were run to evaluate each of the variables of interest (EPII and FLS) as predictive of EA. Child age (M = 6, SD = 4.68) and ACEs were added in subsequent steps for EPII negative and positive if the initial step was significant. For mothers (n = 25), results demonstrated EPII negative as a significant predictor of EA with child age and ACEs adding only small amount of variance to the prediction. The same HMR process was repeated for flourishing, with the covariate child age alone. For fathers (n = 18), flourishing was a significant predictor of EA and child age added only a small amount of variance to the prediction. Results indicate that experiencing high COVID-19-related stressors is associated with lower EA for mothers, but not fathers. Having high levels of flourishing during the pandemic was predictive of higher EA for fathers, but not mothers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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16 pages, 2319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Coaching on the Development of Personal and Social Competences among Secondary School Students

by Andrés Fernando Avilés-Dávila, María Eugenia Martín Palacio and Cristina Di Giusto Valle

Children 2023, 10(6), 1025; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10061025 - 07 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1449

Abstract

In this study, the impact of school coaching in Spain on the dimensions that comprise the effective personality construct and the development of those dimensions among secondary school students is analyzed. Differences relating to the variables of gender, course year/age, and the state/private sector of each educational center are specified. A longitudinal study employing a quasi-experimental methodology was conducted with a sample of 310 students in attendance at 6 educational centers within the Community of Madrid, Spain; the study cohort comprised 156 (50.3%) male students and 154 (49.7%) female students. The effective personality questionnaire in secondary education was used for the pre- and post-intervention evaluations, as well as to conduct an open survey once the program had ended. The students who attended the six-session intervention expressed high degrees of satisfaction. Despite the brevity of each session (45–60 min), a slight non-significant improvement was observed in the experimental group relative to the control group in the dimensions that were studied (p > 0.05). Regarding gender, the program worked better with male rather than with female students. It was also more effective within state-aided than in state schools. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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20 pages, 873 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Predicting Effortful Control at 3 Years of Age from Measures of Attention and Home Environment in Infancy: A Machine Learning Approach

by Mariel F. Musso, Sebastián Moyano, Josué Rico-Picó, Ángela Conejero, M. Ángeles Ballesteros-Duperón, Eduardo C. Cascallar and M. Rosario Rueda

Children 2023, 10(6), 982; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10060982 - 31 May 2023

Viewed by 1444

Abstract

Effortful control (EC) is a dimension of temperament that encompass individual differences in self-regulation and the control of reactivity. Much research suggests that EC has a strong foundation on the development of executive attention, but increasing evidence also shows a significant contribution of the rearing environment to individual differences in EC. The aim of the current study was to predict the development of EC at 36 months of age from early attentional and environmental measures taken in infancy using a machine learning approach. A sample of 78 infants participated in a longitudinal study running three waves of data collection at 6, 9, and 36 months of age. Attentional tasks were administered at 6 months of age, with two additional measures (i.e., one attentional measure and another self-restraint measure) being collected at 9 months of age. Parents reported household environment variables during wave 1, and their child’s EC at 36 months. A machine-learning algorithm was implemented to identify children with low EC scores at 36 months of age. An “attention only” model showed greater predictive sensitivity than the “environmental only” model. However, a model including both attentional and environmental variables was able to classify the groups (Low-EC vs. Average-to-High EC) with 100% accuracy. Sensitivity analyses indicate that socio-economic variables together with attention control processes at 6 months, and self-restraint capacity at 9 months, are the most important predictors of EC. Results suggest a foundational role of executive attention processes in the development of EC in complex interactions with household environments and provide a new tool to identify early markers of socio-emotional regulation development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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12 pages, 555 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Associations between Parenting, Temperament-Related Self-Regulation and the Moral Self in Middle Childhood

by Jessica Schütz and Neele Bäker

Children 2023, 10(2), 302; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10020302 - 04 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1938

Abstract

The moral self is increasingly being debated in research, i.e., what causes children to internalise and evaluate the importance of certain moral values. The aim of the present study is to analyse associations between parental warmth and harsh parenting, temperamental self-regulation (inhibitory control and impulsivity), and the moral self in middle childhood. A total of 194 (n = 52 children with special educational needs in emotional–social development) six- to eleven-year-old children (M_age = 8.53, SD_age = 1.40) and their primary caregivers (M_age = 40.41, SD_age = 5.94) participated in this cross-sectional questionnaire study. Parental warmth and impulsivity were associated with the moral self. Impulsivity mediated the relationship between harsh parenting as well as parental warmth and the moral self. Results are discussed in terms of their relevance to social information processing theory. The importance of parenting and temperamental self-regulation is discussed as implications that may in turn strengthen children’s moral selves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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16 pages, 1006 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Socio-Emotional Competencies Required by School Counsellors to Manage Disruptive Behaviours in Secondary Schools

by Ángela Serrano, Roberto Sanz, Juan Luis Cabanillas and Elena López-Lujan

Children 2023, 10(2), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10020231 - 28 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1692

Abstract

This article identifies the socio-emotional competencies of school counsellors working with children and adolescents. The aim is to address problems related to mental health and conflict and to implement training programmes. The study sample was composed of 149 counsellors working in schools. The instruments used were the CCPES-II (questionnaire on teacher competences) and a series of open-ended questions on conflict resolution. A mixed methodology was used, with a concurrent triangulation design with two phases: a quantitative one (QUAN) and a qualitative one (QUAL). Univariate, bivariate, and correlation quantitative analyses were performed. Parametric and non-parametric tests were applied depending on the number of dependent and independent variables. The qualitative analysis was performed with the NVivo 12 computer programme, which determines word frequencies using a classic content analysis. The results confirm the relationship between socio-emotional training and rapid response to school conflict; the generalised view that conflicts are difficult to anticipate and, thus, to prevent; and the demand for specific training in socio-emotional competences, intervention strategies, more specialised school staff, more time for intervention with and support for families, and more socio-professional recognition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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14 pages, 328 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parenting Styles and Self-Esteem in Adolescent Cybervictims and Cyberaggressors: Self-Esteem as a Mediator Variable

by Maite Garaigordobil and Raúl Navarro

Children 2022, 9(12), 1795; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9121795 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2479

Abstract

Background: Family relationships and self-esteem are relevant variables into the understanding of cyberbullying. However, little is known about the mediating role of self-esteem in the connections between cyberbullying and parenting. The study had two goals: (1) to analyze the relation between being a cybervictim and/or cyberaggressor and self-esteem, parents’ acceptance/coercion, and parenting styles and (2) to explore whether self-esteem is a mediator in the relationship between parents’ acceptance/coercion and being a cybervictim/cyberaggressor. Method: The sample comprises 3026 Spanish adolescents (51.5% girls and 48.5% boys) aged 12–18 years (M_age = 14.39; SD = 1.69). The study has a cross-sectional design, retrospective ex-post with multiple measurements. Results: (1) cybervictims and cyberaggressors have low self-esteem, and their parents have a low level of involvement/acceptance and a high level of coercion/imposition towards their sons/daughters, (2) participants whose parents were authoritarian obtained significantly lower scores in self-esteem and higher scores in cybervictimization/cyberaggression, whereas those whose parents were indulgent obtained significantly higher scores in self-esteem and lower scores in cybervictimization/cyberaggression, and (3) it was found a mediation of self-esteem in the relationship between the involvement/acceptance of both parents and being a cybervictim, as well as between the father’s coercion/imposition and being a cyberaggressor. Conclusion: An adequate level of self-esteem, high parental acceptance/involvement, and a reasonably low level of coercion/discipline as the parenting style can have very positive effects on the prevention of cyberbullying. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

16 pages, 1333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Longitudinal Analysis of Adolescent Adjustment: The Role of Attachment and Emotional Competence

by Tamara Jiménez-Rodríguez, Usue De la Barrera, Konstanze Schoeps, Selene Valero-Moreno and Inmaculada Montoya-Castilla

Children 2022, 9(11), 1711; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9111711 - 08 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1691

Abstract

Emotional competencies as well as secure attachment relationships with peers are protective factors that facilitate psychological adjustment among adolescents. In this study, we will analyse how these socio-emotional factors influence adolescents’ emotional symptoms, conduct problems and peer problems. The participants were 815 Spanish adolescents aged 12–17 years (M = 13.69; SD = 1.21) who completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Parent and Peer Attachment Inventory (IPPA) and the Emotional Skills and Competence Questionnaire (ESCQ). Besides descriptive analyses, such as Pearson’s bivariate correlations, two different methodologies were combined to predict adolescent adjustment: structural equation modelling (SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results show that secure attachment with peers and high emotional competence predict better psychological adjustment (low levels of emotional symptoms, conduct problems and peer problems), while insecure peer attachment and low emotional competence predict maladjustment. These results emphasise the role of socio-emotional variables in the promotion of psychological adjustment in adolescence through the implementation of emotional education programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Socio-Emotional Development from Childhood to Adulthood)

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