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Early Childhood Education

Mental Health and Well-being in Early Years

Profile image of Dr. Syeda U M M - E - S A L M A RizviDr. Syeda U M M - E - S A L M A Rizvi

2024, Mental Health and Well-being in Early Years

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Abstract

Early children mental health and well-being set the stage for later emotional resilience, cognitive growth, and social competence. Positive interactions, safe attachments, and supportive surroundings have a big impact on a child's capacity to control their emotions, create bonds with others, and overcome obstacles throughout these early years. On the other hand, negative experiences like trauma, neglect, or ongoing stress can alter a person's developmental trajectory and make them more susceptible to mental health issues. To promote emotional well-being and avoid long-term psychological issues, early intervention through play-based therapies, parental support, and inclusive educational methods is essential. This abstract emphasises how crucial it is to incorporate mental health promotion into early childhood care, stressing the part that educators, carers, and legislators have in establishing environments that are secure, engaging, and emotionally supportive. In addition to improving individual results, investing in young children's mental health also helps create stronger, better communities.

Key takeaways
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  1. Early childhood mental health is crucial for emotional resilience and cognitive growth throughout life.
  2. 10-20% of children globally face mental health issues, with early interventions vital for prevention.
  3. Positive caregiving and secure attachments significantly reduce anxiety and promote social competence.
  4. Play-based therapies and parental support are effective strategies for enhancing early emotional well-being.
  5. Investing in children's mental health fosters not only individual growth but also stronger communities.

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Background: Current early childhood systems of care are not geared to respond to the complex needs of preschoolers at risk for mental health problems in a timely, coordinated, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive fashion. Evidence-informed policy represents an opportunity for implementing prevention, promotion, and early intervention at the population or at-risk level. Exposure to risk factors as well as the presence of clinical disorders can derail the developmental trajectories of preschoolers, and problems may persist if left untreated. One way to address these multiple research-to-policy gaps are systematic reviews sensitive to context and knowledge user needs, such as the realist review. The realist review is an iterative process between research teams and knowledge users to build mid-level program theories in order to understand which interventions work best for whom and under what context. Methods/Design: The realist review employs five 'iterative' steps: (1) clarify scope, (2) search for evidence, (3) appraise primary studies and extract data, (4) synthesize the evidence, and (5) disseminate, implement, and evaluate evidence, to answer two research questions: What interventions improve mental health outcomes for preschoolers at risk for socio-emotional difficulties and under what circumstances do they work? and what are the best models of care for integrating mental health interventions within pre-existing early childhood education (ECE) services for at-risk children? Knowledge users and researchers will work together through each stage of the review starting with refining the questions through to decisions regarding program theory building, data extraction, analysis, and design of a policy dissemination plan. The initial questions will guide preliminary literature reviews, but subsequent more focused searches will be informed by knowledge users familiar with local needs and further building of explanatory program theories. Discussion: Policy makers want to know what works best for whom, but are faced with a wide and disparate intervention literature for at-risk children. Applying evidence-based standards is a good start, but the chain of implementation between research results and how to match interventions sensitive to local context are ongoing challenges. Trial registration: Prospero registration number: CRD42014007301.

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