Investigate the effectiveness of an Intervention Program "MindREgulation", which uses relaxation and guided imagery with socioemotional learning (SEL), for enhancing children's well-being in schools.

 

A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial will assess the impact of the program implemented over five months, on emotional, cognitive, and physiological outcomes of 3rd and 4th graders aged 8-11.

 

Classes will be chosen from TEIP schools in Lisbon and randomly assigned to three groups: guided imagery and relaxation, only relaxation, and a control group.

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Inclusion Criteria:

• Attend the 3rd and 4th grade of the selected school (8-11 years-old)

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MindRegulation Intervention

1. Relaxation exercises, breathing and closing the eyes, focusing on body parts;

2. Guided imagery through narrated scripts, and exposure to Social and Emotional Learning content (based on the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning framework (CASEL), in three major themes:

• Me with myself (self-awareness and self-management);

• Me with the others (social-awareness and relationships skills);

• Me with the world (responsible decision making and social awareness);

3. Instructions for self-regulation of body posture and the use of touch (shoulders) to support children in posture regulation.

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Relaxation

1. Relaxation exercises, breathing and closing the eyes, focusing on body parts.

(as in MindRegulation intervention) 

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The interventions: 15 minutes before learning activities, three times per week, for five months - 57 sessions.

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Measures:

Children: 

• Global Happiness Faces Scale

• Positive and Negative Affect 

• Mental Health Continuum (MHC)

• Socioemotional Skills

• Emotional Regulation Questionnaire

• Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children

• Children's Academic evaluation reports

• Lifespan-Self-esteem-scale

• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III)

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Children's Physiological Measures:

• Electrocardiogram to evaluate Heart Rate Variability (HRV) 

• Salivary Cortisol - Physiologic Stress

• Skin Conductance Level - Electrodermal Activity

• Physical activity:

• Actigraphy - Accelerometry

 

Teachers & Parents semi-structured reports & Children's Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire 

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Data will be collected before, after, and six months after the intervention.