Social - Emotional Competence Protective Factor Conversation Guide

Children who exhibit social and emotional competence are likely to have better relationships and greater resilience to stress as adults. Social and emotional competence refers to children’s ability to form bonds and interact positively with others, self-regulate their emotions and behavior, communicate their feelings, and solve problems effectively.

Helping children to develop these skills can result in stronger parent-child relationships that are mutually rewarding. Parents grow more responsive to children’s needs—and less likely to feel stressed or frustrated—as children learn to say what they need, rather than “acting out” difficult feelings.

Children’s delays in social-emotional development can create extra stress for families. It is important to identify any such concerns as early as possible and to provide services to children and their parents that facilitate healthy development.