Characterization of social skills of adolescents before participating in a program for social skills group training

• Grant number: 13/06545-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2013
• End date: August 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Cognitive Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Carmem Beatriz Neufeld
• Grantee: Leonardo Zaiden Longhini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Multiple researches seek to organize the conceptualization of social skills, so named for its relation to social competence, required for various performances of specific functional social interaction, as related to varying criteria. Considering the vast conceptualization, most of these skill evaluation instruments assess specific performance, while some instruments seek to integrate multimodal relations in their assessment. This project aims at categorizing social skills of adolescents, from data obtained annually since 2009, prior to their participation in a group for social skills training. This data, obtained by the Inventário de Habilidades Sociais Para Adolescentes (IHSA-Del-Prette) allow a broad assessment in seven categories that correspond to aspects usually exercised in social skills training groups and often present in the literature, a description validated by internal consistency studies and other variables related studies. Considering the strong link between the lack of social skills and social behaviors that compromise health in adolescents, the categorization of these skills in the target population of the intervention ensures the basis for possible improvements and adaptations in the intervention itself, in addition to allowing the evaluation of the training program.