Universal SEL interventions have garnered increasing attention in educational systems worldwide, including in Portuguese schools, with short- and long-term benefits for students, such as social and emotional competencies, academic performance, and positive attitudes and behaviours. Using a pre- and post-test design, the current study aims to…

According to the heuristic model of emotion socialization by Eisenberg et al., parental reactions to children's negative emotions (RCNE) have an important role in this socialization process; however, its effects on children's social-emotional outcomes may be moderated by the children's temperament. This longitudinal study verified this proposition…

The pandemic induced a radical shift to online learning with increased parental involvement. This study investigates the challenges that students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) encountered during the pandemic and the mediating role of parental stress. A total of 294 parents of children with SpLD (mean age = 10.6; SD = 1.5) were…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) characteristically experience academic difficulties. There is growing evidence that the continuum from academic competence to underachievement is partially explained by executive function (EF; neurocognitive attention-regulation processes) and stress. Yet, there is scarce research…

While the role of empathy in socio-emotional functioning has received extensive support in the literature, affective empathy has been identified as a risk factor for internalising disorders. However, little literature has explored the mechanisms through which affective empathy exerts its counter-effect and what aspects could regulate this…

Parenting style plays an important role in children's externalizing behaviors. Differences in physiological regulation among children may lead to variations in whether or to what extent parenting style influences them. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of parenting styles on young children's development of externalizing behaviors…

Research has shown links between emotion regulation strategies and child mental health. However, it is not well known how the characteristics of children may moderate these links. The aim of this study was to explore whether environmental sensitivity--the ability to perceive and process information about the environment--moderates links between…

According to the systems perspective, the influence of various systems (e.g., family, school, community) on children's behavior at school is highly acknowledged. It is therefore accepted that problem behavior in the classroom originates from social interactions, providing a conceptual framework where problems are seen as indicative of dysfunction…

This intervention case study is written by an Educational and Child Psychologist in the Republic of Ireland, which took place with Leah, a 15-year-old adolescent with a diagnosis of autism attending a post-primary school. Pre- and post-intervention assessment measures included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Rosenberg…

Direct observation of classroom behavior in young children enriches our understanding of their behavior in its natural context, informing both assessment and intervention strategies to foster supportive learning environments. However, a notable gap in the literature concerning effective direct observation tools specifically designed for this…

Psychosocial competencies; such as prosocial behaviors, compliance with authority, attention regulation, independence, and emotional regulation; play a crucial role in child development. Higher levels of these competencies in childhood are linked to fewer behavior problems, while deficits in these competencies can predict future problem behaviors.…

"Research Findings": The Problematic Media Use Measure (PMUM) assesses young children's excessive or problematic media use. The current study aims to translate the original English version of PMUM into a Chinese version and validate it with Chinese preschoolers (ages 3 to 6). The instrument was translated, back-translated, pretested, and…

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief instrument developed primarily for screening children and adolescents for social-emotional learning. The SDQ contains four factors related to socio-emotional difficulties and one factor related to prosocial behaviour. However, studies of its factor structure have produced mixed results.…

The prevalence of externalizing behaviors imposes a far-reaching negative impact on students' social, behavioral, and academic outcomes, which constitute a public health issue in low-resource and populous developing countries (e.g., China). Compared to the "one-size-fits-all" approach (OSFA; forcing a single evidence-based intervention…

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on children and families worldwide. Children's mental health has been at the forefront of pandemic research, with several observational studies documenting its decline. Limited person-centred research exists, however, investigating the diverse mental health responses of vulnerable…