Behavior Problems, Anxiety, and Social Skills of Preschool Children

• Autor(a) principal: Vaz, Aline Francine Corrêa
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Figueredo, Larissa Zeggio Perez, Loss, Alessandra Brunoro Motta
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Psicologia (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie. Online)
• Texto Completo: http://editorarevistas.mackenzie.br/index.php/ptp/article/view/11779
• topic: ansiedade; comportamento social; habilidades sociais; prevenção; criança; ansiedad; conducta social; habilidades sociales; prevención; niños; anxiety; social behavior; social skills; prevention; children

This study presents the indicators of behavior, anxiety and social skills of 38 kindergarteners (52.6% girls, mean age 5.34 years; SD = 0.48), enrolled in a municipal school located in the southeastern region of Brazil. The children’s parents/caregivers (86.4% mothers) and teachers completed the instruments: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) and Preschool Kindergarten Behavior Scale (PKBS-BR). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Most children were classified in the non-clinical range for behavior problems and anxiety. The perceptions of the children’s parents/caregivers and teachers diverged, with guardians more frequently identifying deficits in total anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, fear of physical harm and separation anxiety (PAS), external problems and hyperactivity (SDQ), and Internalizing and externalizing problems (PKBS). A correlation was found between anxiety, behavior problems and social skills, reinforcing there is interdependence between aspects of social-emotional development. These findings can support interventions at schools intended to promote prosocial behaviors.