Digital Social and Emotional Literacy Intervention for Vulnerable Children in Brazil: Participants’ Experiences

Abstract

Social emotional literacy (SEL) interventions are widely implemented through schools, with growing evidence for a range of positive child outcomes. Increasingly, such interventions are delivered on online platforms. To date, there is limited evidence about digital SEL interventions in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of children, parents and facilitator of the poten-tial value of addressing SEL via tailored digital intervention. The intervention was designed to help children, in Brazil, to cope during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The intervention was delivered via a digital plat-form to groups of three children for 45 min per week for nine. Thirteen children, nine parents and nine facili-tators were interviewed following the completion of the intervention. The data was analysed through a codebook thematic approach, which led to three themes: empowerment, participatory aspects of the intervention and digital adaptation. Overall, children’s SEL development was reported to be supported during the COVID-19 pandemic, by the application of new skills outside the sessions. Children reported a number of empowering factors such as being heard and belonging. A range of useful participatory tools were identified including storytelling, games, drawings and videos. Blended SEL interventions involving both face-to-face and web-based facilitation could be developed within a tiered model of universal mental health promotion and targeted prevention. Access to online platforms would increase reach to large numbers of children in LMIC, especially in contexts of disadvantage.