Changes in the Social Skills and Behavior Problems of Homeless and Housed Children During the Preschool Year |
| |
| Authors: | Sally A Koblinsky Amy L Gordon Elaine A Anderson |
| |
| Institution: |
a University of Maryland-College Park.
b The Child Welfare League of America. |
| |
| Abstract: | This study examined the social competence and mental health of homeless and permanently housed preschool children enrolled in the Head Start program. Mothers and Head Start teachers rated the social skills and behavior problems of 38 homeless and 46 housed preschoolers twice during the school year. The researchers compared the behavior of the homeless and housed preschoolers soon after they entered Head Start, as well as changes in children's behavior six months after their initial assessment. Both parents and teachers reported that homeless children exhibited more behavioral problems than housed children at the beginning of the study, but perceived no significant differences in the two groups' social skills. Mothers reported significant declines in homeless children's compliance relative to their housed peers at the conclusion of the study, while teachers noted significant declines in homeless children's compliance and expressive skills. Both mothers and teachers reported that homeless children exhibited significantly greater increases in behavior problems than their housed peers over the study period. Findings indicate the need for Head Start and other early childhood programs to develop interventions designed to moderate the negative effect of homelessness on young children's social-emotional development. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 InformaWorld 等数据库收录！ |
