The flag that represents our world right now is the face mask. It has become embedded into our everyday lives and a required fashion accessory. It has become habitual to put on a face mask in order to protect ourselves and those around us from spreading the virus. Although the vaccine has started to be administered, face masks will still become a staple piece in our wardrobe for a while. This raises a question for parents wondering if face masks will become a barrier for children’s emotional learning. A lot of information that children gain are from facial expressions. Babies are able to look at their parents and see their reaction when interacting with an object or a person. If a child sees an adult be fearful of an animal, the child may pick up on the facial cues and gain information from it.  

Although facial expression is a crucial part of improving emotional intelligence, there are other ways that children pay attention to gain information, such as body language and tone of voice. A recent study showed that 7-13 year old children were able to accurately determine the emotion of the adults who depicted a variety of emotional expressions while having their face be covered. Another study focused on seeing if adults and children were able to identify emotional expressions soly from their eyes, a task in which they called “reading the mind in the eyes”. Children from the age of 6-7 were highly capable of determining most emotions, like anger and sadness. 

Children are very adaptable and flexible in their learning abilities. Researchers studied deaf children from Nicaragua who ended up developing their own sign language in order to communicate with each other. Children are able to find other ways to communicate and learn due to their young age and developing brain. 

With all the worries that this pandemic has brought, we can take a deep breath and not stress about the toll it will take on a child’s emotional learning. Their flexibility in what and how they learn will allow them to gain a strong emotional understanding and pick up on social cues. 

Gayoung (Jessica) Lee

Research Assistant, UCONN K.I.D.S.

Link to Article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-baby-scientist/202101/face-masks-and-children-s-emotion-understanding

As winter approaches each year we often look forward to special moments such as snow days, cozy fires, sledding, the holidays, and more. However as the holiday season ends and the cold weather stays we face “The February blues”. This time of the year is associated with feelings of sadness, depression, or loneliness and even more so after a tumultuous year that was 2020.

Now, as we hit the “The February blues”, it is important to note that it is something that can affect all of us, even children. We often see people demonstrate symptoms that can be associated with “Seasonal Affective Disorder”, and even more so now after a global pandemic that has made it even more challenging to fight off the depressive symptoms. The CDC reported that symptoms of depression had a threefold increase in 2020 compared to the previous year due to the pandemic. Surveys also showed that children and adolescents were also experiencing higher levels of depression and anxiety. 

Knowing all this, What are ways for children and adults to not be as affected by the February blues?

1. Prioritize Socialization
   1. Even though we are unable to see our friends and family, it is important to stay social. The effects of social isolation on children and adults can lead to an increased risk for depression. There is a lot of research on the toll that stressful life events can cause, but luckily social ties have been known as a way to prevent symptoms from rising. Maintaining social relationships improves overall happiness and can lower the intensity of depressive symptoms. Even if it seems impossible to socialize in the midst of covid, there are many ways to keep in touch with your friends and family. You can have a virtual play date, movie night, or happy hour for the adults. It’s important to continuously put in the effort to surround yourself with positive people and positive energy. 
2. Increase play time
   1. Play time is an important part of childhood development. It increases their physical, cognitive, social, and emotional intelligence. Currently, children have limited interaction with their peers and are unable to play and learn. Despite not being able to spend time with their peers, the most important play time interaction is between the parents and the child. It promotes a stronger bond and a healthy attachment. Ever since COVID hit the world, puzzle sales have skyrocketed for those dreadful days during quarantine. Legos, blocks, and puzzles are amazing toys for kids to play with as it improves their spatial skills. Play time doesn’t necessarily mean playing with toys, music can be a fun contribution to play time. Music has beneficial qualities such as reading skills, vocabulary, language ability, and math skills. Study has found that musical training can increase a child’s IQ. Playing music in the house can uplift the parents’ and the child’s spirit. 
3. Exercise
   1. Research has shown that exercise can decrease symptoms of depression, even if it’s just a 20 minute walk a day. Being stuck at home can be dreadful during the winter months, so it’s a nice change of scenery to go outside and get some fresh air. It may seem difficult to incorporate your kids into your exercise routine, but many Children platforms have come out with workout routines designated to provide your child with a fun exercise routine. Exercising together can be another way to bond with your child while improving your physical and mental health at the same time. 
4. Communication
   1. It is difficult to start up a conversation about your feelings, especially if it is negative. Parents encourage their children to express their good feelings, but it is hard to address the negative emotions. It may be uncomfortable, but encouraging children to talk about negative emotions is important for helping them address it and learn how to express it. If your child bottles up their negative emotions, it can make them less expressive and prone to developing emotional problems. 
5. Mental Breaks
   1. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you need a break. As parents, it is best to take care of yourself mentally before caring for your children. Parents’ mental health can be passed onto their children and cause them to develop anxiety and depressive symptoms. This pandemic has caused a lot of fear and anxiety in adults and children, and sometimes we all just need a break from reality. 

Article Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-baby-scientist/202102/fend-the-february-blues-your-kids

The holiday season is typically a time of happiness and joy as people enjoy a time with their family and friends. Unfortunately, this time also encompasses a certain amount of stress and anxiety that is further reinforced by advertisements, media, and society (and the current COVID-19 pandemic). Among some strategies to handle stress and anxiety people turn to unhealthy stress management behaviors such as overindulging in eating or drinking. These actions don’t typically help and often make us feel worse. With that in mind, the APA suggests better, healthier, and longer-lasting techniques we can use to make holiday stress more manageable.

The following tips are among some of the points to consider:

• Strengthen social collections: The holidays can be a time to reconnect with the positive people in our lives.
• Initiate conversations about the season: Conversations with our kids about the variety of holiday traditions in the family are typically a good exercise. This time can be used as an opportunity to discuss how some families may not participate in certain holiday traditions as well.
• Set expectations: It is helpful to set realistic expectations for gifts and holiday activities. Depending on the child’s age, this opportunity can be used to teach kids about the value of money and responsible spending.
• Keep things in perspective: It is helpful to maintain a broad context and a longer-term perspective. There will be time after the holiday season to follow up or do more of things we’ve overlooked or didn’t have time to do during the holidays.
• Take care of yourself: We must pay attention to our own needs and feelings during the holiday season.

If a person continues to feel stress, it would be recommended to consult a psychologist or other licensed mental health professional in addition to the suggestions presented above.

Considering the current coronavirus pandemic and the way the year has passed we can say that this holiday season is nothing like ordinary. I stand by the CDC’s recommendations of frequent hand washing, practicing social distancing from family and friends, as well as wearing a proper mask. Recognizing the importance of mental health, we at UConn KIDS encourage you to abide by the recommended guidelines to handle the pandemic and consult a mental health professional if needed (links to the APA and CDC are included below as they contain further guidelines that can be helpful).

Happy Holidays!

Francisco A. Carrillo

Research Assistant, UConn K.I.D.S.

Link to article: https://www.apa.org/topics/parents-holiday

Link to APA: www.apa.org

Link to CDC: www.cdc.gov

Developmental Psychologists have been interested in why some children tend to be more violent than others and what factors can contribute to this increase in violent behaviors. Significant findings make psychologists suspect that children may sometimes behave violently because they lack interpersonal cognitive problem-solving (ICPS) skills, like for example reasoning or brainstorming solutions to a problem, analyzing the potential negative outcomes of their actions, and how to link causal relationships with interpersonal interactions. The researchers suggest that without these skills children are more likely to have infuriating social encounters. Frustration is in turn expressed as negative outcomes reflecting itself in misbehaviors, which in turn bolsters the cycle of unpleasant social interactions, hurt feelings, frustration, and bad behavior.

Researchers have presented significant findings that suggest that teaching ICPS skills improved children’s impulsive behavior and social interactions in comparison to children in the control group. Interestingly, well-adjusted children who learned ICPS skills in their early years (nursery school) were less likely to develop negative behavioral outcomes in the future when compared to children who didn’t learn these skills. Additional research shows how positive parental influence can have strong positive effects on cognitive and behavioral maturation.

The development of effective interpersonal cognitive problem-skills (ICPS) intervention has led to the emergence of several programs around the U.S. that seek to decrease frustration and misbehaviors therefore increasing positive behavioral outcomes and interactions. The ICPS’s widespread appeal has taught thousands of children and adolescents how to think and interact with others and has contributed significantly to the reduction of violence, high-risk behaviors, and substance abuse in the locations where it has been implemented.

Link to article: https://www.apa.org/research/action/solve

Bullying in the school setting is not a new concern, but rather an ongoing issue that hasn’t been properly addressed in the past. Currently, psychologists have been working in new ways to identify and manage bullying and violence in school as they recognize the serious and sometimes deadly consequences this negative behavior has. Bullying can be better defined as a repeated negative, ill-intentioned behavior perpetrated by one or more students and directed against a student who has difficulty defending himself or herself. Typically, the perpetrator(s) are characterized as being impulsive, aggressive and defiant, as they exhibit a strong need to dominate or subdue others. On the other hand, victims are usually described as being cautious, sensitive, cautious, withdrawn, and shy. They may present anxious and insecure behaviors which may often lead to an increased chance of developing a low-self-esteem and depression. Researchers have taken a look towards the prevalence of bullying in the school setting, finding out that 17 percent of students reported having been bullied “sometimes” and six percent reporting both bullying others and being a victim of bullying.

Having recognized the importance of bullying and school violence, psychologists have greatly contributed to the development of comprehensive models designed to reduce and prevent bullying among students. Programs like for example the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program have focused on creating a school and home environment surrounded by warmth and positive involvement from adults as it is complemented with firm limits on unacceptable behaviors and consistent applications of non-punitive, non-physical sanctions for unacceptable behaviors. This program has yielded significant results including substantial reductions in the frequency of reports, significant improvements in the social climate of the class and improvement in students’ satisfaction with school life.

Bullying has been an ongoing issue both in historical and current contexts. Research on bullying and school violence has leaned towards the development of scientific models that would reduce and prevent its prevalence in schools and academic settings.  From a social standpoint, these outcomes can be beneficial as negative effects that could possibly escalate in the future are substantially reduced. It is important to recognize that a great number of scientific literature (both studies and books) address the importance of bullying and treat it as a “hot-topic” to highlight it’s importance in our current and future social setting.

Link to Article: https://www.apa.org/research/action/bullying

The global COVID-19 pandemic has affected how society functions and operates. The academic and educational perspective provides us interesting feedback on how schools, more specifically children, have confronted this unprecedented challenge as they moved quickly into online formats as their teaching settings instead of their typical classroom environment. This results in several possible stressors that can cause mental health challenges for anyone regardless of a previous history of mental health challenges. The school setting would usually provide teachers with the opportunity to identify said stressors and handle the rise of a mental health challenge. However, the current scenario limits the opportunity to identify said challenges as they might go undetected.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 15 to 20% of students could be identified as needing support. Statistically speaking, this number is expected to increase as the number of potential emotional downfalls is higher than before. The APA proposes a possible solution using frequent screening methods to address any mental health challenges that may arise. In collaboration with faculty and staff, teachers may be asked to nominate students who appear to be excessively anxious or frequently sad. The scores on these questionnaires can be used to identify a student who might appear at risk for anxiety or depression. Said questionnaires can be completed again a few weeks later to determine whether their mental health challenges are enduring.

The initiative of having students complete questionnaires is beneficial as it identifies students who might be at risk for emotional difficulties. However, schools need to have a plan of action to connect their students to the appropriate service. This could take place either through the school or through a community agency that treats youth with mental health disorders. Given the many mental health challenges that students may experience both during and after the pandemic, educators need to assist in identifying at-risk students through systematic screening; advocate for universal screening for the student population; and increase awareness of the importance of mental health screening within their colleagues as well as the school and parents.

Link to article: https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/student-mental-health

Today’s Friday Feature is Shuyan Wang!

What is your name?
– Shuyan Wang

Earlier this month, UConn Postdoctoral Fellow Leah Lessard was awarded a prestigious grant from the Society in Research in Child Development (SRCD). Since 1933, the Society for Research in Child Development has focused on stimulating and supporting research to encourage collaboration among individuals within the field of child development and fortify applications of research findings. The grants were selected from a competitive pool of professional applicants that cover many different areas of research and topics. A selection for this grant deserves recognition, so we at UConn KIDS want to take part in congratulating her for this exceptional accomplishment.

Dr. Lessard received her Ph. D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, where much of her experience and expertise within child development and psychology took place. After about five years in Los Angeles, Dr. Lessard’s current research is taking place here at the University of Connecticut at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. Her research focuses on how social experiences contribute to stigma-based health and educational disparities during adolescence. She seeks to identify mechanisms that effectively promote inclusion and acceptance within the school setting as a way to improve marginalized adolescents’ access to the social resources critical for healthy and academically successful outcomes.

As a top 25 public university, we here at UConn recognize research as an integral part of the formation of our students and the growth of its faculty and professors. With this in mind, we at UConn KIDS want to congratulate Dr. Lessard as she continues to make her mark within the field of psychology and child development. Her professionalism and expertise make her more than a qualified professional, but an advocate to promote social inclusion and acceptance for middle and high school kids.

Once again, congratulations.

Best wishes in all your personal and professional endeavors Dr. Lessard.

Francisco A. Carrillo

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS