Symposia
Child / Adolescent - Trauma / Maltreatment
Kelsey McCoy, M.A.
Psychology Inter
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Corrie davies, Ph.D.
Director of Psychological Consultation Center
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
lincoln, Nebraska
Mary Fran Flood, Ph.D.
Co-Director of Family Skills Clinic
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
lincoln, Nebraska
David Hansen, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
lincoln, Nebraska
Social-emotional competence has a profound impact on healthy child development and is associated with numerous outcomes that persist across the lifespan (Bettencourt et al., 2017). Children enrolled in Head Start are at an increased risk for deficits in social-emotional skills (Yoshikawa et al., 2012) due to numerous familial risk factors (e.g., parental substance use) across a bioecological framework (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). Therefore, Head Start programs are in a unique position to facilitate social-emotional learning (SEL) for children who have an increased risk for deficits. This study used quantitative methods to identify the association between familial risk factors and court substantiated maltreatment with social-emotional skills of children enrolled in Head Start. Qualitative interviews were then conducted to identify how Head Start teachers facilitate SEL and support children exposed to numerous familial risk factors in the classroom.
Participants were 103 children enrolled in a Head Start Center-Based Program. Children were 3-5 years old (M = 54.1 months, SD = 6.9) and 52.4% male. Approximately 33% of children identified as Hispanic, 28% identified as Black, 21% as White, and 17.5% as bi-racial, multi-racial, or other. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 7 lead teachers. All teachers identified as female and the majority identified as White (71.4%). On average, teachers had 10 years of experience.
Results showed high rates of maltreatment, with 14.6% of enrolled families having a court substantiated case of maltreatment. Familial risks experienced by children varied (M = 4.4, SD = 2.5) and total number of familial risk factors were associated with child aggression, emotional control, adaptability, and social skills. Court substantiated maltreatment was not associated with any child outcomes. Qualitatively, teachers identified numerous barriers (e.g. time constraints) and facilitators (e.g., role play, modeling) to SEL and reported varied levels of preparedness in supporting children exposed to familial risks.
Overall, findings provide rich information about the role of Head Start in facilitating SEL and supporting children exposed to familial risk factors. Implications of the findings for informing program practices and training efforts for staff in order to improve the ability of Head Start to support at-risk children will be discussed.