Dialogando sobre emociones con niños en riesgo de exclusión social: un estudio preliminar

The aim of this work was to pilot the efficacy of an intervention programme to enhance emotional com­petences in children aged 9 and 10 living in poverty and risk of social exclusion. The programme focuses on specific components of emotion knowledge and emotion regulation. A one group pre-experimental design with pre and posttest measures was used (N = 14). Children attended weekly sessions during four months. Results showed a significant improve­ment in emotion managing, adaptability and emo­tional instability. Children also showed a more effi­cient use of emotion regulation strategies. No differ­ences were found among Spanish children and chil­dren from other countries. In the discussion section we point out the convenience of this kind of pro­grammes to prevent mental health problems in this population.ResumenEste trabajo tiene como objetivo principal probar de forma preliminar el funcionamiento de un programa de intervención para mejorar las competencias emocionales en niños de entre 9 y 10 años en situación de riesgo de exclusión social. El programa se centra en la mejora de algunos componentes del conocimiento y la regulación emocional. Para ello, se utilizó un diseño pre-experimental de un solo grupo con pretest y postest (N=14). Los niños asistieron a las sesiones una vez por semana durante cuatro meses. Los resultados mostraron una mejora estadísticamente significativa en manejo de emociones, adaptabilidad e inestabilidad emocional, además de una utilización más efectiva de estrategias de regulación emocional. No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre niños de familias españolas e inmigrantes. En la discusión se señala la utilidad de estos programas para prevenir problemas de salud mental en este tipo de población.AbstractThe aim of this work was to pilot the efficacy of an intervention programme to enhance emotional com­petences in children aged 9 and 10 living in poverty and risk of social exclusion. The programme focuses on specific components of emotion knowledge and emotion regulation. A one group pre-experimental design with pre and posttest measures was used (N = 14). Children attended weekly sessions during four months. Results showed a significant improve­ment in emotion managing, adaptability and emo­tional instability. Children also showed a more effi­cient use of emotion regulation strategies. No differ­ences were found among Spanish children and chil­dren from other countries. In the discussion section we point out the convenience of this kind of pro­grammes to prevent mental health problems in this population