Self-Regulation Intervention Impact on Turkish Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorder Risks

Abstract

This study examined the effect of a self-regulation intervention package prepared for preschool children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) in Türkiye on children’s self-regulation skills, social skills, problem behaviors, relationships with teachers, and peer acceptance. Ten children, five at risk of EBD and five with typical development (TD), participated in the study. This study used a single-group pretest-posttest design. The intervention lasted for eight weeks, two days a week. Follow-up data were collected three weeks after the intervention. It was found that the intervention package was effective in self-regulation, problem behavior, social skills, and peer acceptance variables of children at risk of EBD (z = −2.02, p < 0.05, r = 0.64) but not in student-teacher relationships (p > 0.05). In the follow-up, no significant changes were observed in any of the variables, except for problem behaviors. However, the levels were maintained (p > 0.05). Only the problem behavior variable showed a significant decrease compared to the post-test (z = −2.03, p < 0.05, r = 0.64). In addition, in the post- and follow-up tests, children at risk of EBD reached performance levels similar to those of TD children in terms of all variables (p > 0.05), which is essential evidence showing the effectiveness and social validity of the intervention.