Promoting resilience with social–emotional learning: Young adult follow-up of a preschool randomized-controlled trial.

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Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
American Psychologist
Published
2026-09-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001765
Primary Topic
Resilience and Mental Health
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Promoting resilience with social–emotional learning: Young adult follow-up of a preschool randomized-controlled trial.

Karen L. Bierman, Janet A. Welsh, Damon Jones, D. Max Crowley et al.
American Psychologist
Resilience and Mental Health
article

Promoting resilience with social–emotional learning: Young adult follow-up of a preschool randomized-controlled trial.

Karen L. Bierman, Janet A. Welsh, Damon Jones, D. Max Crowley, Brenda S. Heinrichs
article en

Abstract

Young adults are experiencing emotional distress at unprecedented levels, with rates of loneliness, social isolation, and poor mental health especially high among those marginalized by economic hardship.Individuals who experience exposure to adverse experiences during childhood face heightened vulnerability, indicating a need to enhance early developmental supports.Public investment in early childhood education provides a unique opportunity to strengthen socialemotional supports for children at socioeconomic risk.This longitudinal study evaluated the impact of enriching Head Start classrooms with intensive support for social-emotional learning and language development on the young adult well-being of children growing up in low-income families.A randomized-controlled trial including 356 children (25% Black, 17% Latinx, 58% White, 54% female, 46% male, M age = 4.49 years at study entry) evaluated the effects of enriched relative to "usual practice" Head Start; follow-up assessments extended through early adulthood (aged 21-22 years).Significant benefits favoring the intervention group emerged on seven of 11 measures of young adult well-being, including conduct problems, depressive symptoms, loneliness, empathy, emotional support, healthy days, and overall life satisfaction.Latent profile analyses showed the preschool intervention increased the likelihood of displaying a profile reflecting higher (rather than lower) young adult well-being.Greater exposure to adverse childhood experiences predicted diminished adult well-being, but intervention buffered the impact of adverse childhood experiences on social adjustment.Findings suggest that enriching preschool with intensive evidence-based social-emotional learning and language support can leverage public investments in early education and enhance the long-term well-being of vulnerable children growing up in poverty. Public Significance StatementThis study illustrates the value of enriching early education programs for children growing up in poverty with social and emotional learning and support for language development.Relative to children attending Head Start classrooms using usual practices, children in classrooms enriched with evidence-based curriculum components and teacher coaching to support socialemotional learning and language development showed higher levels of well-being in early adulthood, including better mental health, social adjustment, and overall life satisfaction.Greater exposure to adverse childhood experiences was associated with less positive early adult outcomes but did not diminish positive response to the intervention.In two areas of social adjustment (sociability, empathy), response to intervention was amplified for children with higher levels of early exposure to adverse childhood experiences.Enriching preschool programming with support for social-emotional learning and language development can enhance the adult well-being of children growing up in challenging circumstances.

American Psychologist
Pennsylvania State University (US)
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Resilience and Mental Health
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