Search Results (2)

Emotion-regulation ability and strategy (i.e., the specific behaviors used to manage feelings) are crucial for preschoolers’ socioemotional development. This study investigated whether a structured picture-book intervention could enhance these components and, critically, reshape the relationship between them. A quasi-experimental, pretest–posttest design was employed with 60 preschoolers (aged 4–5) assigned to an intervention or a passive-exposure control group. The intervention group engaged in bi-weekly, structured emotion-themed picture-book activities for eight weeks. Results from repeated-measures analyses indicated that the intervention group showed significantly greater gains in emotion-regulation abilities (i.e., recognition, expression, regulation) and more frequent use of positive strategies (e.g., cognitive reconstruction, seeking support) compared to the control group. Crucially, the intervention altered the relationship between ability and strategy. In the intervention group, the correlation between overall emotion-regulation ability and the use of negative strategies shifted from non-significant at pretest to significantly negative at posttest. Conversely, this relationship shifted to significantly positive in the control group. These findings suggest that structured interventions not only improve discrete emotion skills but also foster a more adaptive integration of ability and strategy use, preventing the maladaptive pattern where higher ability paradoxically links to greater reliance on negative strategies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Coeliac disease, a chronic and lifelong health condition, is one of the most common autoimmune diseases. However, it is also one of the most under-recognised conditions, and emotionally and cognitively appropriate materials are especially lacking for young children and their families who are coping with this disease. Effective health communication is essential for educating and supporting children living with coeliac disease as well as their families and communities. Picture books can serve as useful and accessible educational and health promotion tools, promoting adaptive coping strategies for dealing with a potentially traumatic condition. Methods: This study aimed to fill a critical gap in the literature by examining a range of picture books (n = 9) aimed at children three to eight years of age diagnosed with coeliac disease. Reflective thematic and structural narrative analyses were applied to explore strategies and themes used in these books and how they align with the current literature on developing coping through children’s narratives. Results: Four themes were developed and measured against an existing model of coping narratives to find a more specific model that recognises the specific concerns of coeliac disease. The four themes found were Information Provision; Promotion of CD Management; Anxiety and Hypervigilance Reduction, with two subthemes of Validating Feelings and Reducing Concerns; and Community and Connection. Conclusions: The findings have likely implications for the following applications: incorporation into clinician training (as a therapeutic and health promotion intervention), support within schools, authors of similar books for children coping with chronic illness, and coping approaches for individuals/families to promote health literacy/support regarding living with coeliac disease. Full article