by Jack Ferguson

What is it?

Emotional maturity refers to children’s ability to recognize and understand their emotional reactions to different situations (EDI reports, 2019). This can be divided up into multiple subscales, including aggressive behaviour, hyperactive and inattentive behaviour, anxious and fearful behaviour, and prosocial and helpful behaviour (EDI reports, 2019). Subscales provide further particular information that will help us understand what factors influence children’s developmental vulnerabilities (EDI reports, 2019). It is essential to understand these vulnerabilities because then adults can serve as tools to assist children in developing and regulating their own emotions in a healthy manner.

Targeted area?

A specific area that will be targeted for emotional maturity is Lynn Valley and the British Properties. The demographic for Lynn Valley and the British Properties is very diverse in culture considering the low population (Census report, 2016). British properties vulnerabilities is 33% which is one of the highest in the province and Lynn Valley vulnerability is 22% which is also one of the highest in the province (EDI Reports, 2019). British Properties vulnerability is stable or both short term and long term for both waves from weeks 6-7 and 2-7(EDI Reports, 2019).

 Lynn valleys vulnerability is stable in the short terms weeks 6-7 but is not stable in the long term for weeks 2-7 (EDI Reports, 2019).

Environmental and Genic Influences:

When a child is developing, they can be influenced by both their genetics and the environment they are raised in. Environmental influences include many things such as friends, family, school and community. The Genetic influences a child’s emotional development through epigenetics. This is when an unusual environmental event happens and causes cells to mutate leaving the sequence of the organisms DNA unchanged over the course of its life. When a mother is in utero, and they experience high levels of stress this can translate to the baby and when the baby is 5 months old, they can show signs of stress. (Conradt, 2017) A child’s family and their home life environment can have a major impact on their emotional development. Research has shown that children that are raised in a family that is supportive and caring they are more likely to have positive emotional development whereas children raised in a home with a negative connection to the parents are more likely to have negative development. (Berk, 2021) An unstable home can cause higher levels of aggression in a child. The risk is that the child is not able to develop fully because of the negative home environment they are raised in. The resilience is if the child can overcome the negative emotional development as they get older and have more of a positive development.

Intervention/Vulnerability:

The intervention program is related to risk and resilience by aggressive behaviour being a big risk to the child’s life. Aggressive behaviour comes with fighting, bullying, stealing and laughing at ours for comfort and can seriously affect a child’s development in the world. (EDI scale, 2021) The study showed that kids with aggressive behaviour lack in social skills and in school. A child in this situation can be resilient by taking the strategies learned in the intervention and applying them to their daily life so they can develop healthy and be a good student. Having a good support system from school and their community can also help in a positive way.

References

August, G. J., Lee, S. S., Bloomquist, M. L., Realmuto, G. M., & Hektner, J. M. (2004). Maintenance effects of an evidence-based prevention innovation for aggressive children living in culturally diverse urban neighborhoods. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 12(4), 194–205. https://doi.org/10.1177/10634266040120040101 

Berk, Laura E. (2021). Infants and Children: Prenatal through Middle Childhood (9th ed.), Pearson

Conradt, E. (2017). Using Principles of Behavioral Epigenetics to Advance Research on Early-Life Stress. Child Developmental Perspectives, 11(2), 107-122. Https://doi-org.ezproxy.capilanou.ca/10.1111/cdep.12219

Human Early Learning Partnership. EDI (Early Years Development Instrument) W7 EDI Subscales Community Profile, 2020. North Vancouver (SD44). Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia, School of Population and Public Health; January 2021. 

Human Early Learning Partnership. Early Development Instrument [EDI] report. Wave 7 Community Profile, 2019. West Vancouver School District (SD45). Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia, Faculty of Medicine, School of Population and Public Health; February 2020. Available from: http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/edi_w7_communityprofiles/edi_w7_communityprofile_sd_45.pdf