by Mackenzie Lee

Emotional maturity is defined as a child’s prosocial or helping behaviours towards others. The emotional maturity in children is genetically predisposed to an extent, such as their ability to face fear, however, certain adaptations are acquired to protect oneself when the child senses they are in danger (Berk, 2021).  Resilience is defined as the ability to adapt to the surrounding environment, the adaptations being developed via protective factors. Protective factors are designed to protect people from various traumas; in children, one of the most important factors being nurturing parental relationships (Berk, 2021). According to the EDI scale, vulnerable behaviours pertaining to emotional maturity includes, but is not limited to; aggression, anxiety, and hyperactivity (EDI, 2019).

Environmental and Genetic Influences

Environmental influences toward vulnerable behaviour may begin as early as the time of gestation. Children who have mothers that were exposed to teratogens, something that can harm the fetus, aside from physiological defects, they are more likely to demonstrate vulnerable behaviours such as inattentiveness, aggression, and/or anxiety (Berk, 2021). When exposed to teratogens, a child’s emotional behaviour may be altered due to an alteration in gene presentation (Condrat, 2017). Many common teratogens for a fetus to be exposed to include; alcohol, prescription and illicit drugs, infectious disease, and many more (Berk, 2021). A maternal factor which may be overlooked is severe emotional distress. High levels of anxiety are not only associated with miscarriage and premature birth, but stress hormones may impact fetal stress hormones, correlating to potential mood disorders later in life (Berk, 2021).

In past studies, the relationship between parent and child is said to be a determining factor in a child’s prosocial behaviours. Children who appear to have warm, nurturing parents demonstrate empathy, and to some extent, a greater understanding of mental states (Aitken et al., 2020). Warm, nurturing home environments are defined as those in which parents set reasonable expectations for a child while providing a safe and caring space. Being that a nurturing parental relationship is a valuable protective factor, when children are unable to achieve a nurturing relationship from their parents, they will seek the support from an external support system such as extended family or teachers (Berk, 2021).

Surrey School District (SD36) –  Newton Northwest

The EDI scale for emotional maturity is divided into four subscales in which they consider to be vulnerable behaviours, the behaviours defined as; aggressive, anxious and fearful, hyperactive and inattentive, and prosocial and helping (EDI, 2019). The demographic used for Newton Northwest consisted of 231 students, 175 of which were ELL students (English Language Learners), and 9 of which had some type of special need (EDI, 2019). In comparison to the school district of Surrey, Newton Northwest plays a very small role as Surrey’s total EDI report at the time included 5105 students. In this particular neighbourhood, 104 children (~41%) have been determined to be vulnerable, the most significant short-term increase occurring between waves 3 and 4 (8% to 15% of children were considered vulnerable) (EDI, 2019).

The neighbourhood of Newton Northwest located in the city of Surrey has seen an overall increase in both the long-term and short-term in each subscale, reflecting the increase in vulnerability seen in emotional maturity throughout British Columbia (EDI, 2019). The city of  Surrey has seen consistent increases in both long-term and short-term in aggressive behaviours as well as hyperactive and inattentive behaviours. Other behaviours such as anxious and fearful remained static, while prosocial and helping vulnerability decreased in the long term. Newton Northwest, however, has seen increases in the short- and long-term in each one of the subscales (EDI, 2019).

To consider the possibilities as to why the vulnerability in the children of Newton Northwest continues to increase, one must understand the greater context of the demographic. A significant demographic in this neighbourhood is the role of ethnicity. Newton Northwest is a community based predominantly of visible minorities, 18,370 visible minorities out of a population of roughly 22,165 people (HELP, 2016). 

Reducing Vulnerability towards Emotional Maturity

Vulnerability regarding emotional maturity in children appears as those who perform high on a majority of various EDI subscales. The subscales considered to be vulnerable include anxious and fearful, inattentive and hyperactive, and aggressive; vulnerable children performing on the lower end of prosocial and helping behaviours (EDI, 2019) . Recognizing these behaviours early on provides an opportunity for an intervention to prevent further psychological issues that may have been a result of these traits. Considering that vulnerable behaviours vary from child to child, one of the most frequent behaviours that appears in many children regardless of age, is anxious and fearful tendencies. Providing an intervention to reduce anxiety not only relieves one behaviour, however, it can reduce other vulnerable behaviours that may have been a result of comorbidity, such as attention deficits and aggression (Findling, 2003).

Application of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in Schools

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, also commonly known as CBT, is an intervention which requires people to identify their issues, breaking them down into manageable chunks to allow themselves to acknowledge their thoughts and feelings around their problem(s) . CBT interventions are said to reduce anxiety symptoms in children when in a school setting, unlike school-based depression interventions. To reduce the cost and make interventions accessible for children, training teachers in CBT would be beneficial in comparison to hiring a mental health professional (Neil and Christensen, 2009). Being that some children represent vulnerable behaviours regarding mental health due to a lack of parental presence, training teachers in CBT not only makes mental health interventions inclusive for students, but it will also likely decrease symptoms while providing a sense of routine (Neil and Christensen, 2009). If teachers were trained in recognizing vulnerable behaviours, these behaviours could be targeted via intervention a lot sooner than if a child were to wait to seek professional help. Teachers would become aware of various symptoms such as physical symptoms, harm avoidance, social anxiety, or problems regarding panic and/or separation (Layne et al., 2009). Awareness around vulnerable behaviours in teachers, parents, and students not only allows for behaviours to be addressed sooner, but it can also aid in reducing the stigma regarding mental health issues.

References

Aitken, J., Ruffman, T., & Taumoepeau, M. (2020). Toddlers’ Self-Recognition and Progression From Goal- to Emotion-Based Helping: A Longitudinal Study. Child Development, 91(4), 1219–1236. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13304

Berk, L. (2021). Revel 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 Development Perspectives, 11(2), 107–112. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12219

Earlylearning.ubc.ca. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2021, from http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/edi_w7_communityprofiles/edi_w7_communityprofile_sd_36.pdf.

Edi – University of British Columbia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2021, from http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/subscales_wave_6_sept_2017/w6_edi_subscale_community_profile_-_36_surrey.pdf.

Edi – University of British Columbia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2021, from http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/subscales_wave_6_sept_2017/w6_edi_subscale_community_profile_-_37_delta.pdf.                                   

Findling, R. L. (2003). Treatment of aggression in children. Primary Care Companion Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 5(Suppl 6), 5-9.

Human Early Learning Partnership. HELP Census & National Household Survey (2016). http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/maps/data/                        

Layne, A. E., Bernat, D. H., Victor, A. M., & Bernstein, G. A. (2009). Generalized anxiety disorder in a nonclinical sample of children: Symptom presentation and predictors of impairment. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23(2), 283–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.08.003

Neil, A. L., & Christensen, H. (2009). Efficacy and effectiveness of school-based prevention and early intervention programs for anxiety. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(3), 208– 215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.01.002

University of British Columbia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2021, from http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/edibc_wave7_2019_provincialreport.pdf.