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Emotional Development and Stress Reduction in Preschool Children: An Experimental Evaluation of an Art-Based Discussion Programme

Emotional Development and Stress Reduction in Preschool Children: An Experimental Evaluation of an Art-Based Discussion Programme

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Recieved: 04/06/2026

Accepted: 05/20/2026

Published: 06/06/2026

Keywords: emotional development; emotion understanding; perceived stress; developmental programme; perezhivanie

Pages: 57-68

DOI: 10.11621/npj.2026.0305

Available online: 06.06.2026

To cite this article:

Gavrilova, M.N. (2026). Emotional Development and Stress Reduction in Preschool Children: An Experimental Evaluation of an Art-Based Discussion Programme. National Psychological Journal, 21(3) , 57-68. https://doi.org/10.11621/npj.2026.0305

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Issue 3, 2026

Gavrilova, M.N. Federal Scientific Center of Psychological and Multidisciplinary Research

Abstract

Background. Emotional development and stress levels in preschool children largely determine their future academic and social success. Therefore, devising programmes aimed at developing emotional competence and reducing stress are considered one of the important directions in preschool education.

Objective. The goal is to evaluate experimentally the effectiveness of the "Look. See. Discuss" programme, devised for emotional development and reduction of behavioural manifestations of stress in preschool children through a structured discussion of paintings.

Study Participants. The study participants were 62 children aged 5–6 years (M = 5.34, SD = 0.35; 34 boys, 28 girls), randomly assigned to experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 32) groups.

Methods. An experimental study involved a control group and two diagnostic assessments (pre-test and post-test). Children's emotional development was assessed with the Test of Emotion Comprehension; an adapted version of the Perceived Stress Scale for Children was used to assess behavioural manifestations of stress; a parent questionnaire was administered to collect necessary demographic data about the study participants. At the stage of statistical data analysis, one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with the correction for multiple comparisons was used as the main criterion.

Results. After completing the "Look. See. Discuss" programme, participants in the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant greater increase in emotion understanding and a significantly greater reduction in behavioural manifestations of stress compared to the control group.

Conclusions. The "Look. See. Discuss" programme is an effective tool for emotional development and reduction of behavioural stress indicators in preschoolers. The work contributes to the development of the cultural-historical approach by demonstrating the possibility of operationalising the phenomenon of perezhivanie in the design of a formative experiment.

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To cite this article:

Gavrilova, M.N.. Emotional Development and Stress Reduction in Preschool Children: An Experimental Evaluation of an Art-Based Discussion Programme. // National Psychological Journal 2026. 3. Pages57-68. doi: 10.11621/npj.2026.0305

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