Impacto de uma intervenção precoce em funções executivas e autorregulação na saúde mental e habilidades cognitivas de escolares de Maceió

Abstract

Evidence demonstrates that executive functions (EF) play a crucial role in education and are relevant to self-regulatory learning and behavior. Changes in different aspects of EF are related to outcomes in adult life, including mental and physical health, socioeconomic and Family status. Investing in preventive programs in the classroom context, incorporated into children's daily activities, shows benefits in executive skills, such as PIAFEX. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an early intervention aimed at EF and self-regulation, on mental health and neurobiological indicators and cognitive abilities of children from public elementary education units in Maceió. It was a quasi-experimental study (with follow-up of children from the school year beginning’s to the conclusion of the elementary school I’s first year), carried out in three public municipal schools. In the study, children of both sexes regularly enrolled in the 1st year of elementary school were included, and children with genetic, psychiatric, or neurological problems identified in the questionnaire answered by parents and in the data survey carried out in schools were excluded. The six teachers from the classrooms that made up the experimental group (EG) received training from the Intervention Program in Self-Regulation and Executive Functions (PIAFEX) to apply in the classroom, as a complement to the activities already carried out routinely. The mothers and/or guardians of the children were invited to meetings in schools, for clarification on the research, signing of consent, and answering the questionnaires. The total sample consisted of 110 children, 72 from the EG, who received intervention according to PIAFEX, carried out for six months, by teachers from the teaching units, and 38 from the CG, who received only normal classroom activities. PIAFEX's main objective is to improve the engagement of FE and child self-regulation. The pre-and post-intervention measures and assessment instruments consisted of sociodemographic data, maternal and child mental health, executive functions and self-regulation measures, attention, and working memory measures, in addition to cognitive and neurobiological flexibility measures. The results showed that in the children's executive functions after the intervention, the EG had a greater reduction in the indicators of working memory difficulties, cognitive flexibility, aversion to delay, and regulation, improving its performance compared to the CG. There was also a statistically significant improvement after intervention in children's mental health, with a reduction in the score of emotional symptoms and behavior problems in the EG compared to the CG, showing the positive impact of the application of PIAFEX on children's mental health. In the post-intervention salivary cortisol dosage, there was no significant change between the EG and CG. In conclusion, the intervention proved to be effective for the cognitive functions and children’s mental health. PIAFEX stands out as an intervention program to promote cognitive health and stimulation of executive function skills in children, as it can contribute to enhance cognitive processes and lead to short-term and long-term benefits.