Preschool intervention benefits socioeconomically disadvantaged children in adolescence

Incorporation of a social-emotional learning program in preschool was associated with significant improvement in later emotional and behavioral health in adolescence, according to study results published in American Journal of Psychiatry.

“Longitudinal studies suggest that stronger social-emotional and self-regulation skills developed early in life serve as protective factors for low-income youths, enabling them to more effectively manage their feelings and inhibit impulsive behaviors as they navigate the social opportunities and stressors of adolescence,” Karen L. Bierman, PhD, of the department of psychology at Pennsylvania State University, and colleagues wrote. “Landmark preschool studies initiated over 50 years ago, such as the Perry Preschool and Abecedarian programs, first demonstrated that high-quality preschool (relative to home care) could promote improved well-being in adulthood (2). Recent re-analyses suggest that growth in social-emotional and self-regulation skills rather than academic skills account for the long-term benefits these programs produced.”

However, data are sparse regarding the sustained benefits of social-emotional programming in this context. To address this research gap, Bierman and colleagues aimed to determine whether a preschool enrichment program was linked to reduced levels of psychopathology symptoms at the transition from middle to secondary school. They used the Head Start Research-Based, Developmentally Informed intervention with an evidence-based social-emotional learning program and a coordinated interactive reading program among preschool classrooms that served children from low-income families. They randomly assigned centers to usual practice or the intervention and followed 356 4-year-olds, of whom 58% were white, 25% were Black, 17% were Latino and 54% were female, into early adolescence. Further, they used hierarchical linear models to assess the intervention’s effects on teacher-rated psychopathology according to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in grades seven and nine, 8 to 10 years after the intervention ended.

Results showed statistically significant reductions related to the intervention in conduct problems and emotional symptoms among the intervention group. Moreover, the researchers noted reductions among the intervention group in the proportion of youths with clinically significant levels of conduct problems, emotional symptoms and peer problems, with rates one-third of those who served as controls.

“Additional follow-up research is needed to determine whether these preschool enhancements will support significant improvements in life accomplishments, such as high school graduation, employment status and adult mental health,” Bierman and colleagues wrote. “Additional research is also needed to determine how these effects might be amplified by coordinating preschool programs with parent-focused enrichment or by embedding this kind of universal preschool program within a multitiered system of supports that offers additional, more intensive support services to children or parents who require them.”