A1 Journal article (refereed)
Reading Skills, Social Competence, and Physiological Stress in the First Grade (2022)
Jõgi, A.-L., Pakarinen, E., Tolvanen, A., & Lerkkanen, M.-K. (2022). Reading Skills, Social Competence, and Physiological Stress in the First Grade. School Mental Health, 14(3), 624-639. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09487-x
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Jõgi, Anna-Liisa; Pakarinen, Eija; Tolvanen, Asko; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina
Journal or series: School Mental Health
ISSN: 1866-2625
eISSN: 1866-2633
Publication year: 2022
Publication date: 19/11/2021
Volume: 14
Issue number: 3
Pages range: 624-639
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication country: United States
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09487-x
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel
Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/81820
Abstract
An awareness of school-related antecedents of children’s physiological stress at the beginning of school helps educators to prevent and mitigate children’s stress, the one of the major obstacles to their well-being and academic progress. We aimed to study the effect of reading skills and social competence on first-grade students’ salivary cortisol levels in natural settings. Based on previous results of the effects of everyday situations on children’s stress according to gender, we expected that both academic and social skills would affect girls’ physiological stress more, compared to boys. Our sample consisted of 277 students (7–8 years old, 50.2% girls). We used the highest salivary cortisol level of three morning samples and a cortisol level from the middle of the school day as physiological stress indicators. Reading skills were assessed by group-administered tests and social competence by teacher ratings. We found that lower reading comprehension skills and lower disruptiveness were related to higher cortisol levels for girls but not for boys. Higher empathy and lower disruptiveness moderated the effect of better reading comprehension on higher psychological stress in the middle of the school day only for girls. By recognizing the antecedents of children’s stress and supporting their academic and social skills, children’s, especially girls’, physiological self-regulation and coping skills in the primary grades will benefit.
Keywords: literacy; children (age groups); pupils; stress (biological phenomena); social skills; psychological effects; physiological effects; stress management; well-being; child development
Free keywords: physiological stress; reading skills; social competence; children; ender differences
Contributing organizations
Related projects
- Is stress contagious in a classroom? Reciprocal relations between teacher and student well-being
- Pakarinen, Eija
- Ella ja Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation
- The effects of teacher-student interactions on child outcomes: Behavioral and
psychophysiological mechanisms- Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina
- Research Council of Finland
- The role of teacher stress and wellbeing on the quality of pedagogical interactions
- Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina
- Finnish Work Environment Fund
Ministry reporting: Yes
VIRTA submission year: 2022
JUFO rating: 1