Can classroom emotional support enhance prosocial development among children with depressed caregivers?

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Abstract

Preschool children from economically disadvantaged families often experience difficulties in developing prosocial behavior. Risk associated with depressive symptomatology in caregivers (parents and guardians) may further compound these difficulties. The overall objective of the present study was to examine the compensatory effect of Head Start classroom environments on the development of prosocial behavior among children with caregivers high in depressive symptomatology. We initially examined the association between caregiver depressive symptoms and children's starting levels of prosocial behavior and then tested classroom emotional support as a moderator of the relation between caregivers’ depressive symptoms and children's prosocial behavior development during the school year. The sample of 194 Head Start preschoolers in 28 classrooms was part of a larger study designed to test the effects of an emotion-based prevention program. As expected, caregivers’ levels of depressive symptoms predicted lower starting levels of prosocial behavior. However, classroom emotional support promoted improvements in prosocial behavior for the children of the caregivers high in depressive symptomatology. The implications of these findings for the development of preventive interventions are discussed.

Highlights

► We examine factors that may inhibit and promote prosocial behavior in Head Start. ► Caregiver depressive symptoms relate to lower initial levels of prosocial behavior. ► Emotional support moderates the relation between depression and prosocial behavior. ► Emotional support enhances prosocial behavior for children of depressed caregivers. ► Emotional support should be a target for social development interventions.

Section snippets

Caregiver depression and prosocial behavior

There is substantial evidence that children's social development is significantly influenced by their caregivers’ personality and adaptation (Qi & Kaiser, 2003), as caregivers have the primary responsibility for caring for a preschool child. Caregiver depression has consistently been linked to negative child outcomes (Cummings and Davies, 1994, Goodman et al., 2011). Although most research has investigated the effects of maternal depression, there is evidence that depressive symptomatology of

Classroom climate as a protective factor for prosocial development

Given the risks posed to children's prosocial development by caregiver's depression, it is important to identify protective factors that improve prosocial behavior (Wentzel & McNamara, 1999). Preschool is an important period for the development of adaptive social behavior and classroom settings provide an opportunity to compensate for the risks associated with caregiver depression. Many children spend a significant portion of time in classrooms where they have opportunities to interact and form

Current study

Our primary objective was to determine whether a positive classroom environment would facilitate improvements in children's prosocial behavior and compensate for the risks associated with living with a caregiver high in depressive symptomatology among children in a Head Start program. Caregivers in the current study were defined as children's parents and/or guardians. We first examined the relationship between caregivers’ depressive symptoms and starting levels and rates of improvement in

Method

The current study was part of a larger longitudinal investigation of the effectiveness of the Emotions Course, an emotions-based preventive intervention, in helping Head Start children understand and regulate their emotions (Izard et al., 2008). The sample was recruited from a Head Start system that serves an inner-city population in a Mid-Atlantic state. All seven Head Start centers in this area were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments: Emotions Course or a social-cognitive program

Descriptive analysis and correlations

Descriptive statistics and intercorrelations are presented in Table 1 for all variables in the study. Caregiver depression symptoms correlated negatively (ps < 0.05) with children's prosocial behavior at all of the time points during the school year. Fifteen percent of the caregivers in the current study met criteria for moderate to severe depression as assessed by the QIDS. Sex, age, and the child's verbal ability correlated significantly with prosocial behavior at all three time points, while

Discussion

The development of children's prosocial behavior plays a prominent role in promoting adaptive outcomes, such as good academic performance and peer relations (Kokko and Pulkkinen, 2000, Kokko et al., 2006). Although caregiver depression consistently has been linked to behavioral and emotional problems in children (Goodman et al., 2011), the complex relationship between caregivers’ depression and children's prosocial development has been less well-established. Risks to prosocial development posed

Acknowledgments

We are deeply grateful to the collaborating Head Start system for their cooperation. We thank the teachers, families, and children of the Head Start systems for their invaluable cooperation. Fran Haskins and Sarahfaye Heckler helped with many aspects of the research. The project described was supported by NIMH Grant R01MH080909.

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