Book Chapters by Angela SokYee Low
Child and Adolescent Well-being and Violence Prevention in Schools, 2017
As a major socialization force in children’s lives, schools are a critical context in which to su... more As a major socialization force in children’s lives, schools are a critical context in which to support the development of positive mental well-being in all students and address issues of aggression and violence. In this chapter, we consider the many pathways through which this can be achieved, including the promotion of mental health literacy, early identification of mental and behavioral difficulties, encouragement of help-seeking, and creation of safe and accepting learning environments in which all students can thrive. Most importantly, we argue for addressing mental health and school violence through the promotion of social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools, providing students with the competencies needed to address social and emotional needs in constructive and nonviolent ways. To this end, we introduce the SEL Resource Finder, a newly developed website that serves as a virtual clearinghouse for educators on information and cost-effective approaches to addressing school violence and fostering positive mental health.
Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development. , 2018
Social and emotional competence are intricately linked, both developmentally and functionally. Th... more Social and emotional competence are intricately linked, both developmentally and functionally. This entry begins with an overview of social competence, and then reviews several influential models of emotional competence, from which key components of emotional competence that are critical for effective social functioning are identified. How these components, which include emotional understanding and emotion regulation, develop in childhood, and how they contribute to successful social development, are explored. The role of early social experiences in the development of emotional competence, and how emotional competence in turn contributes to the development of social competence, directly and indirectly through enriching the social landscape, are described. Finally, opportunities and strategies for supporting the development of social and emotional competence at home and in school are considered.
Journal Articles by Angela SokYee Low
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 2017
Social and emotional learning is increasingly recognized as playing an important role in the prom... more Social and emotional learning is increasingly recognized as playing an important role in the promotion of positive mental health in schools. With child and youth mental health identified as a priority for the transformation of Canadian mental health systems by the Mental Health Commission of Canada in 2012, comprehensive efforts to promote positive social and
emotional development in schools and to foster safe and caring school environments are urgently needed. This paper highlights the multi-faceted approach undertaken in British Columbia over the past decade to promote positive mental health through social-emotional learning in schools.
L’apprentissage socio-émotionel est de plus en plus reconnu comme jouant un rôle important dans la promotion de la santé mentale en milieu scolaire. Étant donné que la promotion de la santé mentale chez les enfants et les adolescents a été identifiée comme priorité par le Commission de la santé mentale du Canada, il est urgent de déployer des efforts significatifs afin de promouvoir le développement socio-émotionnel dans les écoles pour favoriser des milieux sécuritaires et accueillants. Ce document souligne et résume l’approche à multiple facettes déployée depuis dix ans en Colombie Britannique afin de promouvoir la santé mentale via l’apprentissage socio-émotionnel en milieu scolaire.
Conference Presentations by Angela SokYee Low
Society for Research on Adolescents Conference, 2016
Peer victimization, an experience familiar to one-third of children in schools worldwide (WHO, 20... more Peer victimization, an experience familiar to one-third of children in schools worldwide (WHO, 2008), is an emotionally charged one. Children who are victimized report experiencing greater intensity of negative emotions in response to peer provocation compared to non-victims (Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2004), and these emotions trigger a range of experiential, psychological and behavioral responses, many of which increase the risk of repeat provocation, and are maladaptive for psychological functioning. Specifically, emotional responses such as crying, striking back, or displays of helplessness and sadness have been shown to be ineffective in stopping bullying, and predictive of repeated victimization (e.g., Champion & Clay, 2007; Shields & Cichetti, 2001).
Although there is an increasing body of research on the emotional processes involved in bullying and victimization, we still know very little about emotional strategies and competencies that enhance or reduce children’s risk of being victimized at school. The present study examined the associations of two interrelated components of emotional competence: emotional awareness and the use of two well-researched emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and elementary school children’s experiences with school victimization. In particular, the study investigated the degree to which children’s levels of emotional awareness contributed to their risk of being victimized, and how using antecedent-focused strategies such as reappraisal, or response-focused strategies such as suppression to regulate their emotions influenced this relationship.
Participants were 607 students in grades 4-7 from British Columbia, Canada, who completed self-report measures of emotional awareness, emotion regulation strategy use (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and experiences of victimization at school. Regression analyses were conducted to explore the associations between low emotional awareness and the use of specific emotion regulation strategies. Results indicated that low emotional awareness was a significant predictor of children’s use of suppression as an emotion regulation strategy. Binary logistic regression was conducted to examine the contributions of low emotional awareness, and the use of suppression and reappraisal to victimization. Results show that low emotional awareness was associated with increased odds of being victimized, and the use of suppression as an emotion regulation strategy decreased the odds of being victimized.
While habitual use of response-focused strategies such as suppression as an emotion regulation strategy has been associated with negative long-term outcomes in psychological well-being and interpersonal functioning in adults, there is a scarcity of such research on children’s use of emotion regulation strategies. The results of this study suggest that, for this age group, using suppression as an emotion regulation strategy is adaptive for decreasing the risk of victimization. This is particularly salient for children with low emotional awareness, to whom, as results suggest, the use of basic emotion regulation strategies such as suppression is more accessible.
Society for Research in Child Development, 2017
Given links between school victimization and deficits in emotional competencies (Shields & Cichet... more Given links between school victimization and deficits in emotional competencies (Shields & Cichetti, 2001), this study examined the contribution of classroom- and individual-level deficits in emotional awareness to student reports of peer victimization. Results indicated that overall, classroom-level deficits in emotional awareness contributes to victimization risk, beyond individual deficiencies in emotional awareness.
Annual convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, 2017
Research has begun to look at the links between ineffective emotion regulation and anxiety (Aldao... more Research has begun to look at the links between ineffective emotion regulation and anxiety (Aldao, Nolen-Hoeksema, & Schweizer, 2010). Specifically, the use of expressive suppression (ES) as an emotion regulation strategy has been linked to anxiety disorders in adults (Campbell-Sills, Barlow, Brown, & Hoffman, 2006). Little is known, however, about this relationship in youth, and whether other components of emotion regulation impact this relationship. This study examined whether overall emotional awareness moderated the relationship between ES and anxiety in pre-adolescents. Method: 248 students (ethnically diverse 4th-7th graders) completed self-report measures of emotional awareness, use of ES, and anxiety symptoms. Results: Results of regression analyses showed that emotional awareness moderated the positive relationship between suppression use and anxiety. For students who are emotionally aware, those who use ES frequently reported higher levels of anxiety than those who seldom use ES. Discussion: Pre-adolescence is an important time for the development of emotion regulation, when patterns such as strategy use become more stable and trait-like (Cole, Michel, & Teti, 1994). These findings suggest that helping children develop a wider repertoire of strategies to regulate emotions is important for mental health.
American Psychological Association conference, 2018
In adults, links between depression and efforts to inhibit the expression of emotions (expressive... more In adults, links between depression and efforts to inhibit the expression of emotions (expressive suppression) as an emotional regulation strategy (Gross, 1998) have been well established (see Aldao, Nolan-Hoeksema, & Schweizer, 2010 for a recent meta-analysis). However, results from the few studies examining this relationship in youth are inconsistent (e.g., Eastabrook, Flynn, & Hollenstein, 2014; Larsen et al., 2013), suggesting that other factors influence this relationship. The present study investigated one such factor in elementary school-aged children: emotional awareness. Emotional awareness, defined as the ability to identify and describe one’s own emotional experiences and that of others, is widely accepted as a fundamental skill for social and emotional competence (Halberstadt, Denham, & Dunsmore, 2001; Saarni, 1999). Higher levels of emotional awareness have been associated with fewer depressive symptoms in youth (Sendzik et al., 2017). As such, the present study examined whether the relationship between the use of expressive suppression and depressive symptoms in pre-adolescents is influenced by emotional awareness. Method: Participants (248 ethnically diverse 4th to 7th graders) completed self-report surveys measuring their level of emotional awareness, use of expressive suppression, and depressive symptoms. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that 30% of the variance in self-reported depressive symptoms could be explained by expressive suppression use, emotional awareness, and their interaction. Furthermore, the association between expressive suppression use and depressive symptoms was moderated by emotional awareness. Specifically, greater use of expressive suppression was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, but only for students who were emotionally aware. Discussion: Results highlight the nuanced relationship between the use of expressive suppression, emotional awareness and depressive symptoms in youth. This suggests that social emotional learning interventions which promote the use of certain emotion regulation strategies may be more effective when individual emotional factors of students are taken into consideration.
Papers by Angela SokYee Low
The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development
Social and emotional competence are intricately linked, both developmentally and functionally. Th... more Social and emotional competence are intricately linked, both developmentally and functionally. This entry begins with an overview of social competence, and then reviews several influential models of emotional competence, from which key components of emotional competence that are critical for effective social functioning are identified. How these components, which include emotional understanding and emotion regulation, develop in childhood, and how they contribute to successful social development, are explored. The role of early social experiences in the development of emotional competence, and how emotional competence in turn contributes to the development of social competence, directly and indirectly through enriching the social landscape, are described. Finally, opportunities and strategies for supporting the development of social and emotional competence at home and in school are considered.
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 2017
Social and emotional learning is increasingly recognized as playing an important role in the prom... more Social and emotional learning is increasingly recognized as playing an important role in the promotion of positive mental health in schools. In 2012, the Mental Health Commission of Canada identified child and youth mental health as a priority for the transformation of mental health systems in Canada. To this end, comprehensive efforts to promote positive social and emotional development in schools and to foster safe and caring school environments are urgently needed. This paper highlights the multi-faceted approach undertaken in British Columbia over the past decade to promote positive mental health through social-emotional learning in schools.
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Book Chapters by Angela SokYee Low
Journal Articles by Angela SokYee Low
emotional development in schools and to foster safe and caring school environments are urgently needed. This paper highlights the multi-faceted approach undertaken in British Columbia over the past decade to promote positive mental health through social-emotional learning in schools.
L’apprentissage socio-émotionel est de plus en plus reconnu comme jouant un rôle important dans la promotion de la santé mentale en milieu scolaire. Étant donné que la promotion de la santé mentale chez les enfants et les adolescents a été identifiée comme priorité par le Commission de la santé mentale du Canada, il est urgent de déployer des efforts significatifs afin de promouvoir le développement socio-émotionnel dans les écoles pour favoriser des milieux sécuritaires et accueillants. Ce document souligne et résume l’approche à multiple facettes déployée depuis dix ans en Colombie Britannique afin de promouvoir la santé mentale via l’apprentissage socio-émotionnel en milieu scolaire.
Conference Presentations by Angela SokYee Low
Although there is an increasing body of research on the emotional processes involved in bullying and victimization, we still know very little about emotional strategies and competencies that enhance or reduce children’s risk of being victimized at school. The present study examined the associations of two interrelated components of emotional competence: emotional awareness and the use of two well-researched emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and elementary school children’s experiences with school victimization. In particular, the study investigated the degree to which children’s levels of emotional awareness contributed to their risk of being victimized, and how using antecedent-focused strategies such as reappraisal, or response-focused strategies such as suppression to regulate their emotions influenced this relationship.
Participants were 607 students in grades 4-7 from British Columbia, Canada, who completed self-report measures of emotional awareness, emotion regulation strategy use (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and experiences of victimization at school. Regression analyses were conducted to explore the associations between low emotional awareness and the use of specific emotion regulation strategies. Results indicated that low emotional awareness was a significant predictor of children’s use of suppression as an emotion regulation strategy. Binary logistic regression was conducted to examine the contributions of low emotional awareness, and the use of suppression and reappraisal to victimization. Results show that low emotional awareness was associated with increased odds of being victimized, and the use of suppression as an emotion regulation strategy decreased the odds of being victimized.
While habitual use of response-focused strategies such as suppression as an emotion regulation strategy has been associated with negative long-term outcomes in psychological well-being and interpersonal functioning in adults, there is a scarcity of such research on children’s use of emotion regulation strategies. The results of this study suggest that, for this age group, using suppression as an emotion regulation strategy is adaptive for decreasing the risk of victimization. This is particularly salient for children with low emotional awareness, to whom, as results suggest, the use of basic emotion regulation strategies such as suppression is more accessible.
Papers by Angela SokYee Low
emotional development in schools and to foster safe and caring school environments are urgently needed. This paper highlights the multi-faceted approach undertaken in British Columbia over the past decade to promote positive mental health through social-emotional learning in schools.
L’apprentissage socio-émotionel est de plus en plus reconnu comme jouant un rôle important dans la promotion de la santé mentale en milieu scolaire. Étant donné que la promotion de la santé mentale chez les enfants et les adolescents a été identifiée comme priorité par le Commission de la santé mentale du Canada, il est urgent de déployer des efforts significatifs afin de promouvoir le développement socio-émotionnel dans les écoles pour favoriser des milieux sécuritaires et accueillants. Ce document souligne et résume l’approche à multiple facettes déployée depuis dix ans en Colombie Britannique afin de promouvoir la santé mentale via l’apprentissage socio-émotionnel en milieu scolaire.
Although there is an increasing body of research on the emotional processes involved in bullying and victimization, we still know very little about emotional strategies and competencies that enhance or reduce children’s risk of being victimized at school. The present study examined the associations of two interrelated components of emotional competence: emotional awareness and the use of two well-researched emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and elementary school children’s experiences with school victimization. In particular, the study investigated the degree to which children’s levels of emotional awareness contributed to their risk of being victimized, and how using antecedent-focused strategies such as reappraisal, or response-focused strategies such as suppression to regulate their emotions influenced this relationship.
Participants were 607 students in grades 4-7 from British Columbia, Canada, who completed self-report measures of emotional awareness, emotion regulation strategy use (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and experiences of victimization at school. Regression analyses were conducted to explore the associations between low emotional awareness and the use of specific emotion regulation strategies. Results indicated that low emotional awareness was a significant predictor of children’s use of suppression as an emotion regulation strategy. Binary logistic regression was conducted to examine the contributions of low emotional awareness, and the use of suppression and reappraisal to victimization. Results show that low emotional awareness was associated with increased odds of being victimized, and the use of suppression as an emotion regulation strategy decreased the odds of being victimized.
While habitual use of response-focused strategies such as suppression as an emotion regulation strategy has been associated with negative long-term outcomes in psychological well-being and interpersonal functioning in adults, there is a scarcity of such research on children’s use of emotion regulation strategies. The results of this study suggest that, for this age group, using suppression as an emotion regulation strategy is adaptive for decreasing the risk of victimization. This is particularly salient for children with low emotional awareness, to whom, as results suggest, the use of basic emotion regulation strategies such as suppression is more accessible.