Does the Animal Fun program improve social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in children aged 4-6 years?
Animal Fun was designed to enhance motor and social development in young children. Its efficacy in improving motor skills was presented previously using a randomised controlled trial and a multivariate nested cohort design. Based on the Environmental Stress Hypothesis, it was argued that the program...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20651 |
| _version_ | 1848750367244812288 |
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| author | Piek, Jan Kane, Robert Rigoli, Daniela McLaren, Sue Roberts, C. Rooney, Rosanna Jensen, Lynn Dender, Alma Packer, T. Straker, Leon |
| author_facet | Piek, Jan Kane, Robert Rigoli, Daniela McLaren, Sue Roberts, C. Rooney, Rosanna Jensen, Lynn Dender, Alma Packer, T. Straker, Leon |
| author_sort | Piek, Jan |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Animal Fun was designed to enhance motor and social development in young children. Its efficacy in improving motor skills was presented previously using a randomised controlled trial and a multivariate nested cohort design. Based on the Environmental Stress Hypothesis, it was argued that the program would also result in positive mental health outcomes, investigated in the current study. Pre-intervention scores were recorded for 511 children aged 4.83-6.17 years (M = 5.42, SD = .30). Intervention and control groups were compared 6 months following intervention, and again in their first school year. Changes in teacher-rated prosocial behaviour and total difficulties were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and data analysed using Generalised Linear Mixed Models. There was a significant improvement in prosocial behaviour of children in the intervention group six months after initial testing, which remained at 18-month follow-up. Total difficulties decreased at 6 months for the intervention group, with no change at 18 months. This effect was present only for the hyperactivity/inattention subscale. The only significant change for the control group was an increase in hyperactivity/inattention scores from pre-intervention to 18-month follow-up. The Animal Fun program appears to be effective in improving social and behavioural outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:35:42Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-20651 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:35:42Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-206512017-09-13T13:49:37Z Does the Animal Fun program improve social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in children aged 4-6 years? Piek, Jan Kane, Robert Rigoli, Daniela McLaren, Sue Roberts, C. Rooney, Rosanna Jensen, Lynn Dender, Alma Packer, T. Straker, Leon Animal Fun was designed to enhance motor and social development in young children. Its efficacy in improving motor skills was presented previously using a randomised controlled trial and a multivariate nested cohort design. Based on the Environmental Stress Hypothesis, it was argued that the program would also result in positive mental health outcomes, investigated in the current study. Pre-intervention scores were recorded for 511 children aged 4.83-6.17 years (M = 5.42, SD = .30). Intervention and control groups were compared 6 months following intervention, and again in their first school year. Changes in teacher-rated prosocial behaviour and total difficulties were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and data analysed using Generalised Linear Mixed Models. There was a significant improvement in prosocial behaviour of children in the intervention group six months after initial testing, which remained at 18-month follow-up. Total difficulties decreased at 6 months for the intervention group, with no change at 18 months. This effect was present only for the hyperactivity/inattention subscale. The only significant change for the control group was an increase in hyperactivity/inattention scores from pre-intervention to 18-month follow-up. The Animal Fun program appears to be effective in improving social and behavioural outcomes. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20651 10.1016/j.humov.2015.08.004 Elsevier restricted |
| spellingShingle | Piek, Jan Kane, Robert Rigoli, Daniela McLaren, Sue Roberts, C. Rooney, Rosanna Jensen, Lynn Dender, Alma Packer, T. Straker, Leon Does the Animal Fun program improve social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in children aged 4-6 years? |
| title | Does the Animal Fun program improve social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in children aged 4-6 years? |
| title_full | Does the Animal Fun program improve social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in children aged 4-6 years? |
| title_fullStr | Does the Animal Fun program improve social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in children aged 4-6 years? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does the Animal Fun program improve social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in children aged 4-6 years? |
| title_short | Does the Animal Fun program improve social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in children aged 4-6 years? |
| title_sort | does the animal fun program improve social-emotional and behavioural outcomes in children aged 4-6 years? |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20651 |