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The importance of accurate in-depth assessment of social-emotional functioning during development has important implications for public health from infancy to adulthood because it predicts and is associated with mental health, academic performance, delinquency, substance abuse and workplace performance. 1 - 3 For example, when developmental milestones of social-emotional competence are not negotiated successfully, children are at risk not only for psychopathology 4 - 11 but also for multiple behaviour problems, poor school performance and drug abuse. In contrast, the successful development of such functioning is associated with adaptive resilience in the face of stressful circumstances. 12
Given the crucial nature of social-emotional development, the first aim of this paper is to describe and enumerate developmental milestones for five dimensions that have previously been found to be associated with optimal (and non-optimal) outcomes for children and even adults. The second objective is to make recommendations concerning appropriate assessments for these constructs at different developmental stages. The dimensions are: (1) social competence; (2) attachment; (3) emotional competence; (4) self-perceived competence; and (5) temperament/personality. In addition, the current discussion will address the co-action of parental influences with these various dimensions. These specific dimensions were chosen because they form a comprehensive theoretical structure of interrelated intrapersonal (eg, self-perceived competence, temperament) and interpersonal (eg, social competence) constructs, 13 14 which means that they are fundamental to how people function in social and familial relationships.
To illustrate, there is ample evidence that socially competent children demonstrate more positive school behaviours and fewer diagnoses of psychopathology than children who lack social competence. 9 15 There are also numerous findings that individuals with secure attachments during infancy and childhood develop positive social-emotional competence, cognitive functioning, physical health and mental health. 16 17 Even academic outcomes such as focused attention and participation in class, as well as higher grade point averages, are associated with secure attachment. 18 The link between secure attachment and later positive outcomes extends well into adolescence, particularly in areas of peer and romantic relationships, school competence and psychological adjustment. 19 - 23
Links also are being found between emotional competence and children's social competence, mental health and academic success. 24 For example, both positive and negative expressiveness show measurable effects on how well children get along with peers, 25 and...