The recent COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on self-awareness (SA) as a powerful tool in the ability to identify and manage psychological reactions in the face of uncertainty. Prior research...Show moreThe recent COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on self-awareness (SA) as a powerful tool in the ability to identify and manage psychological reactions in the face of uncertainty. Prior research supports early SA development as key to setting the right trajectory for lifelong socio-emotional growth in children. Existing reviews have yet to examine interventions specifically targeting SA skills. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to address this gap by examining the effectiveness of SA interventions alongside components contributing to the improvement in children. Age and socioeconomic status (SES) were examined as plausible factors moderating SA intervention effectiveness. The dataset was extracted in 2019 based on keyword searches of eight electronic databases. In addition to SA components, secondary outcomes of positive, (i.e., prosocial skills) and negative (i.e., emotional distress) mental health were evaluated. Forty-two studies examining SA interventions targeted for children below 13 years in all settings were included, with 29 studies included in the meta-analysis. Results showed that SA interventions had an overall small to moderate effect on all outcomes (g= .32, 95% CI [.20, .44], p< .001). Small but considerable gains were found on the majority of the SA components: emotional competence, self-efficacy, selfesteem, and interpersonal relationships (mean g= .26). The largest effects were found for emotional competence (g= .53) and self-efficacy (g= .48). Age and SES were not found to moderate effects on SA outcomes. In conclusion, interventions were successful in fostering positive changes in children’s SA. Further research is needed to explore intervention characteristics influencing SA development.Show less
