Evaluation of emotional coping programme on children of early primary school age

Abstract

The aim of this research was to examine whether participation in an emotional coping programme resulted in an increase in constructive coping with aversive emotions. In order to assess specific coping strategies, Aversive Feelings Coping Task was used (Saarni, 1997b). This study included hundred children, with an average age of 7,8 years. Half of the participantswere included in a four-month coping programme, while the other half served as a control. There were three measurements for both groups: before, immediately after, and six months after the completion of the programme. Obtained results showed that, when it comes to coping with aversive emotions, children who participated in the programme reported a significant increase in variability of behavioural responses compared to the children who did not participate in the programme. The most significant increase in responses was linked to the feelings of sadness, followed by anger, then fear and shame. Furthermore, there was an increase inf constructive coping with the feelings of sadness, fear, anger and shame, as well as a significant reduction in frequency of non-constructive coping strategies. Those behavioural changes were detected even six months after completion of the programme. These findings might be understood as a preliminary support for intervention programmes aimed at enlargening children’s bihevioral repertours to various emotionally-provocative situations.