The Effects of Social Skills Training as a Preventive Approach for Children in the Community Setting

Yoon, Seok Min; Kwack, Young Sook

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of social skills training (SST) for children in two different community settings, an elementary school and a child community center.
METHODS
Two separate groups of 15 children (10 boys and 5 girls) and 13 children (4 boys and 9 girls) participated in a SST program twice per week at an elementary school and a child community center, respectively. Age range of participants was from 8 to 10 years. Sixty-minute-long sessions of SST were continued twice per week for 4 weeks. Korean-Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL), Conner's Rating Scales, Korean-Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (K-ARS), Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), and Matson's Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) were evaluated by their parents before and after the SST program.
RESULTS
Pre-and-post analysis of SST indicated no significant statistical differences in the elementary school group. However, the child community center group showed significantly increased scores for total social ability (p<.05) and decreased scores for attention problem (p<.05) on the K-CBCL. In addition, scores of MESSY were significantly increased (p<.05). These differences between the two groups were still significant after controlling pre-SST scores ; and difference of SST scores between the two groups disappeared after SST.
CONCLUSION
Results suggest that SST in the community setting is an effective tool for prevention of social deficits and problems in attention by promoting social function and attention.