Benefits of SEL » SEL & Prevention

Research has shown that many of the elements important to social and emotional learning help to prevent high-risk behaviors including drug and alcohol use, violence, delinquency, school non-attendance, depression, and early sexual activity that put adolescents at risk for substance abuse problems, dropping out, suspensions or incarceration, suicide, and pregnancy.

In a recently completed meta-analysis of close to 700 evaluation studies of SEL programs for children preschool to high school SEL, participating schools saw a 44% decrease in suspensions, and a 27% decrease in other disciplinary actions. SEL programming reduces high-risk behaviors both by enhancing student attachment to school, and by giving children foundational skills to make healthy and ethnical choices, resist negative social influences, and manage their feelings in productive ways.

Because many high-risk behaviors share many of the same risk and protective factors, and can be addressed by similar prevention strategies, there is growing national support for a more comprehensive, coordinated approach that prevents risky behaviors and also promotes positive youth development (see No New Wars). Social and emotional learning provides a framework for coordinating school-base prevention efforts, and utilizes interactive, skills-based prevention approaches found to be most effective. Moreover, while certain high-risk behaviors may have greater prevalence in some communities than others, other behaviors such as substance abuse cross all geographic and economic boundaries, indicating the need for universal (i.e., involve all children) rather than selectively targeted approaches to prevention. In addition, while the majority of children will not repeatedly engage in high-risk behaviors or experience long-term negative outcomes, an SEL-based prevention approach strives toward the larger goal of helping all children become healthy adults, productive workers, and engaged and contributing citizens (Weissberg 2004 Senate Testimony).

Below is a sample of the research supporting the contention that SEL interventions reduce high-risk behaviors and promote positive youth development.

When students are attached to school and to prosocial teachers and peers, they are more likely to behave in prosocial ways themselves, and to avoid engaging in highrisk behaviors (Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992).

Supporting Evidence
A meta-analysis of 165 studies of schoolbased prevention activities showed environmentally focused interventions (e.g., establishing norms for behavior, classroom and instructional management, school or discipline management interventions, reorganization of grades/classes) significantly decreased the prevalence of the four outcomes examined: delinquency, alcohol and drug use, drop out/non-attendance, and conduct problems (Wilson, Gottfredson, & Najaka, (2001).

Students in schools using a program designed to create more supportive and cooperative-learning environments had significantly lower rates of drug use and delinquency than comparison students (Battistich, Schaps, Watson, Solomon, & Lewis, 2000).

Adolescents’ sense of connectedness to school is associated with significantly lower rates of emotional distress, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, violence, substance abuse, and sexual activity. (Resnick, et al.,1997).

SEL instruction provides students with basic skills, such as good decision-making and refusal skills, which enable them to successfully avoid engaging in high-risk behaviors and to participate in behaviors that support their positive development.

Supporting Evidence
A meta-analysis of 165 studies of schoolbased prevention activities found interventions with social competency instruction significantly decreased delinquency, alcohol and drug use, and conduct problems (Wilson, Gottfredson, & Najaka, 2001).

A review of prevention studies from 1980-1990 found that among 12 categories of programs, comprehensive programs (i.e., those using several different prevention strategies, but all providing decision making and resistance skills training) and social influence programs (i.e., programs teaching about and providing skills to resist social pressures) were the more effective in preventing or delaying the onset of substance use (Hansen, 1992).

Reviews of the research on school-based substance abuse and violence prevention programs indicate that instruction and practice in social and emotional competencies is a critical element of effective programs (Dusenbury, & Falco, 1995; Dusenbury, Falco, Lake, Brannigan, & Bosworth, 1997).

A study by Dennis R. Trinidad and colleagues in the January issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health (34(1): 46-55) underscores the importance of including refusal skills and emotional management skills in smoking prevention programs. The study examined how emotional intelligence in sixth-graders related to their intentions to smoke in the future. The students who indicated they were most likely to smoke in the future were those with low overall emotional intelligence who also had high levels of hostile feelings, or felt they would have a hard time refusing cigarette offers. The researchers hypothesize that these students have trouble decreasing feelings of hostility by effectively managing their emotions. This study builds on previous work from this group, which found that seventh- and eighth-graders with low emotional intelligence were more than two times more likely to have engaged in smoking behavior.

Complete citations for these studies can be found in our SEL and Academics Research Brief.

Additional Resources on SEL and Prevention

• School-Based Prevention: Promoting Positive Social Development through Social and Emotional Learning. This 2003 American Psychologist article by Greenberg et al. makes a compelling case for school-based prevention, summarizes findings of key studies of comprehensive SEL-based prevention programming, and discusses the role of prevention programs in the context of other school-wide and district-wide practices and policies.
• For additional research and readings on this topic, use our Searchable Research Database. Readings cover topics such as:
• How to develop a coordinated prevention approach
• Characteristics of effective prevention programs
• Barriers to implementation
• Prevalence rates for high-risk behaviors
• Prevention outcomes for specific SEL programs can be found in our Safe and Sound guide to SEL programs.
• See our web links section for additional resources on specific prevention topics.