Body-oriented Interventions on Preschoolers' Social-emotional Competence

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Experimental study with 4 groups (3 experimental and 1 control). Examine the effects of 3 body-oriented intervention programs on preschoolers' social-emotional competence. Intervention programs focused on relaxation, loose parts play and combined loose parts play and relaxation, for 12 weeks with 2 30-min sessions per week.

Detailed Description
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To examine the chronic effects of the intervention programs, instruments were collected at baseline (pretest) and at the end of the 12-week period (post-test). To measure the acute effects, salivary cortisol was measured at the beginning and end of the 1st and the 24th sessions.

Official Title
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Effects of Three Body-oriented Intervention Programs on Preschoolers' Social-emotional Competence

Conditions
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Social-emotional Competence

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Relaxation
* Other: Loose parts play
* Other: Combined


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: participants' age between 3 and 6 years do not have participated in a similar intervention program within the last 6 months do not have a physical condition that can affect the participation in the program. Exclusion Criteria: participants' age less than 3 and under 6 years have participated in a similar intervention program within the last 6 months have a physical condition that can affect the participation in the program.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 3 Years
Maximum Age: 6 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Relaxation group<br>Relaxation program sessions had 3 phases: initial dialogue (2 min); a main section (25 min); final ritual (3 min). During the main section, participants listened and observed the therapist, who described and demonstrated all the exercises of the session, which were focused on Jacques Choque Method (Choque, 1994). | Other: Relaxation<br>* Sessions focused on relaxations activities (Jacques Choque Method).<br>|
| Experimental: Loose parts play group<br>Loose Parts Play program sessions had 3 phases: initial dialogue (2 min); main section (25 min); final ritual (3 min). During the main section, participants were allowed to play freely with any materials (loose parts) available in the playground. | Other: Loose parts play<br>* Loose parts play-based sessions, with open-ended materials.<br>|
| Experimental: Combined group<br>In the combined program, the sessions had 4 phases: initial dialogue (3 min); loose parts play moment (20 min); relaxation exercises moment (5 min); final ritual (2 min). | Other: Combined<br>* Sessions focused on loose parts play and relaxation activities.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control group<br>No intervention. Maintained their usual routines. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Emotion discrimination | Emotion discrimination was measured through the Emotion-discrimination Task. This measurement consists in two performance tasks of increasing difficulty. In the task 1 (neutral condition) children were tested on their ability to discriminate between cars and flowers, and faces with hats versus faces with glasses. This neutral condition is not scored, since is used to check if children understood how to sort different cards. In task 2, children had a sheet in front of them with a sample drawing of one category in the top left corner (e.g. an angry face) and a drawing of the other category in the top right corner (e.g. a sad face). Then, children have six cards (with the same emotion) and one by one they have to place each card in the correct category after a demonstration. The cards that were placed correctly were counted with 1 point, with a maximum of 3 points. | 1 and 12 weeks | 
| Change in Emotion identification | Emotion identification was measured through the Emotion-identification Task. The task consists of eight drawings of facial emotion expressions, two for each emotion (happiness, sadness, fear, and anger). Then the researcher show two sheets with four drawings of facial emotion expressions on each sheet and ask to the children: Who looks happy?, and children have to point to the drawing with the correct facial expression. Next, the researcher ask if Is there anybody else who looks happy?. This procedure is repeated for anger, sadness, and fear. The number of emotions correctly identified was recorded, with a maximum score of 2 per emotion. | 1 and 12 weeks | 
| Change in Emotion recognition | Emotion recognition was measured thought the subscale Others' Emotion Recognition (6 items) of the Portuguese version of the Emotion Expression Questionnaire. This Subscale indicates the extent to which the child can recognise the parents' and others' emotions. Parents can rate to what degree each item is true on a 5-point scale (0=(almost) never, 1=rarely, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=(almost) always). | 1 and 12 weeks | 
| Change in Positive and negative emotion expression | Positive emotion expression, and negative emotion expression was measured through the Negative Emotion Expression subscale (8 items) and Positive Emotion Expression subscale (6 items) from the EEQ. Parents scored on a 5-point scale (0=(almost) never, 1=rarely, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=(almost) always), the frequency, intensity, and duration of child's expressions of negative emotions (e.g., anger, sadness), and positive emotions (e.g., happiness, joy). The extent to which the child can calm down from the emotional episode was also measured (1=easy; 3= difficult). | 1 and 12 weeks | 
| Change in Self-regulation | Self-regulation was measured through the Portuguese version of Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Task (HTKS). Using no materials, the HTKS has three sections with up to four paired behavioral rules: touch your head and touch your toes; touch your shoulders and touch your knees. Child first respond naturally, but then had to perform the opposite of a dominant response (e.g., touch your head when the interviewer says touch your toes). This task includes three phases (each with 10 trials), and for each trial, the child received a score of 0 (incorrect), 1 (self-correct), or 2 (correct). | 1 and 12 weeks | 
| Change in Stress regulation | Stress regulation was measured through cortisol levels (mcg/dL) was quantified in saliva samples collected at the same time and in the same place where the interventions occurred, before and after the 1st and 24th sessions. Samples were collected directly from each child's mouth, without stimulation, by passive droll during 5 minutes to a polyethylene tube. | 2 days | 
| Change in Social competence | Social competence was obtained through the prosocial behaviors scale (5 items), and positive items from the peer problems scale (2 items) of the Portuguese version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Rated on a 3-point scale (0 = not true, 1 = somewhat true, and 2 = certainly true) the degree to which each item represented child's behavior in the last 3 months. | 1 and 12 weeks | 
| Change in Externalizing problems | Externalizing problems was obtained also through the behavior problems scale (5 items), and hyperactivity scale (5 items) of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Rated on a 3-point scale (0 = not true, 1 = somewhat true, and 2 = certainly true) the degree to which each item represented child's behavior in the last 3 months. | 1 and 12 weeks | 
| Change in Conflicts resolution | Conflicts resolution was measured through the conflict resolution strategies subscale (6 items) of the Portuguese version of Social Strategies Rating Scale (SSRS). Administered to teachers, which rated on a 5-point scale (1=never, 3=half of the time, 5=almost always) how often the child uses the social strategies during interactions with peers on preschool context. | 1 and 12 weeks |