Effect of social skills training groups and social skills bibliotherapy with psychiatric patients.

The effectiveness of a systematic social skills group training program was compared to both a bibliotherapy program group and a typical hospital treatment control group (10 18–56 yr old patients per group). Assessment instruments included self-report (Rathus Assertiveness Schedule), observational, and in vivo measures. Results on the observational measure show that the skills training group improved significantly more than the control group, and this difference was maintained at follow-up. The skills group also showed superior improvement on the self-report measure. Results fail to demonstrate the efficacy of bibliotherapy. Findings concerning generalization of social skills group treatment effectiveness were encouraging in that 2 of 3 measures employed to test for generalization showed significant effects. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pretesting effects in the evaluation of social skills training.

Evaluated the effects of pretesting in conjunction with a group social skills training program, using a wide variety of outcome measures. Half of the 46 undergraduate Ss were self-referred, while the other half were volunteers from an introductory psychology class. A Solomon 4-groups design was used to evaluate the effects of pretesting, the skills training program, and their interaction. Strong evidence of pretesting effects was found for measures associated with a behavioral forced interaction task. Implications of the results for selection of outcome measures are discussed. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral training of social skills in shy males.

31 college males who had reported themselves unable to interact with women in specific social situations were asked to record every interaction for 1 wk. Following this, a series of behavioral tests was given. When compared to a group of confident Ss, shy Ss interacted with fewer women, in fewer situations, and for less time outside of the laboratory. In laboratory test situations shy Ss rated themselves and were rated by Os as being more anxious. Pulse rate was monitored during the behavioral testing. Confident Ss had significantly less pulse rate change during the test situations. After pretesting, shy Ss were randomly assigned to either an assessment control group or an analogue treatment group, with treatment consisting of 3 sessions of behavior rehearsal, modeling, and coaching. On posttesting, Ss who had received treatment showed less physiological responsivity to the testing stimuli, reported less anxiety, and were rated as being more skillful in the test situations. Behavioral diaries revealed that following treatment Ss who received training changed more than control Ss on several measures of frequency and duration of interactions with women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individualizing social skills training for behavior-disordered children.

Individualized social skills training was compared with nonindividualized social skills training and wait-list control conditions. Participants were 35 behavior-disordered children at a treatment center. Role-play tests indicated that children in both the individualized and nonindividualized conditions mastered the content of the training sessions. Observations of recess play indicated that the increase in cooperative play after treatment was significantly higher for the individualized training group. There were no significant differences in observed aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methods of skill selection in social skills training: A review.

32 social skills training studies utilizing a social learning or social-cognitive approach and published between 1980 and 1984 were reviewed with respect to methods used to select skills targeted for training. Operational definitions of social skills selection methods were used to classify studies on 2 dimensions—type of social validity and degree of individualization. A gap between recommended methods for selecting skills for inclusion in social skills training programs and actual research practices was found. Of the 32 studies reviewed, 18 reported no prior empirical evidence that the targeted skills were socially valid and 20 did not report an attempt to verify that trainees were deficient in the targeted skills prior to treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A meta-analysis of controlled research on social skills training for schizophrenia.

A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials of social skills training for schizophrenia was conducted. Outcome measures from 22 studies including 1,521 clients were categorized according to a proximal-distal continuum in relation to the presumed site of action of skills training interventions, with content mastery tests and performance-based measures of skills assumed to be most proximal, community functioning and negative symptoms intermediate, and general symptoms and relapse most distal. Results reveal a large weighted mean effect size for content-mastery exams (d = 1.20), a moderate mean effect size for performance-based measures of social and daily living skills (d = 0.52), moderate mean effect sizes for community functioning (d = 0.52) and negative symptoms (d = 0.40), and small mean effect sizes for other symptoms (d = 0.15) and relapse (d = 0.23). These results support the efficacy of social skills training for improving psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of social skills training in a group of institutionalized aggressive elderly subjects.

A social skills training program consisting of instructions, modeling, role playing, and feedback was carried out with a group of 6 verbally aggressive institutionalized elderly patients. Dependent measures included confirmed incidents of verbal aggressive behavior monitored across an ABAB design with a 5-month follow-up period. Results indicated that verbally aggressive behavior can be significantly decreased in a group-training setting and subsequently generalized to ward and other socialized behavior. Ancillary aspects of the study include the role of social reinforcement, participant modeling, and staff attitude, perception, and motivation. Implications for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schoolwide social skills training: Providing preventive services to students at-risk.

Describes a schoolwide social skills assessment and training model including a 2-gate student identification procedure (i.e., in-class social skills training for all students and small group intensive training for at-risk target students). The model is directed at reducing future serious problems by addressing identified difficulties early (i.e., through secondary prevention procedures). Specific and model objectives are to (1) use a comprehensive, multigate procedure to identify students at risk; (2) implement schoolwide training procedures to teach a number of important prosocial skills identified by teachers; (3) treat a subgroup of target Ss considered at highest risk for developing pervasive social problems; and (4) implement procedures to encourage the transfer and generalization of all students' skills across untrained stimuli, settings, and situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of a computer-facilitated interactive social skills training program for boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at significant risk for a variety of comorbid conditions, including social skills deficits. Although interventions addressing various aspects of social difficulties with these children have been developed, few researchers have integrated new technology with existing social skills intervention literature and investigated such approaches empirically. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a computer-mediated social skills training program for children diagnosed with ADHD. The program presented specific social skill sequences to four children with ADHD in a variety of computer-facilitated formats with video peer modeling, social problem-solving, and reinforcement components. Participants' abilities to demonstrate specific social problem-solving skills effectively in a behavioral analogue environment were evaluated. The study used a multiple-probe variation of the multiple-baseline design (MBD) across participants. All participants demonstrated improvements in ability to demonstrate effective social problem-solving skills in analogue role-play assessments with live peers. Follow-up data at 3 and 6 week intervals indicated that participants maintained their gains over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Telephone-based coping skills training for patients awaiting lung transplantation.

Impaired quality of life is associated with increased mortality in patients with advanced lung disease. Using a randomized controlled trial with allocation concealment and blinded outcome assessment at 2 tertiary care teaching hospitals, the authors randomly assigned 328 patients with end-stage lung disease awaiting lung transplantation to 12 weeks of telephone-based coping skills training (CST) or to usual medical care (UMC). Patients completed a battery of quality of life instruments and were followed for up to 3.4 years to assess all-cause mortality. Compared with UMC, CST produced lower scores on perceived stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and negative affect and improved scores on mental health functioning, optimism, vitality, and perceived social support. There were 29 deaths (9%) over a mean follow-up period of 1.1 year. Survival analyses revealed that there was no difference in survival between the 2 groups. The authors conclude that a telephone-based CST intervention can be effectively delivered to patients awaiting lung transplantation. Despite the severity of pulmonary disease in this patient population, significant improvements in quality of life, but not somatic measures or survival to transplant, were achieved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Successful interpersonal skills training with schizophrenic inpatients.

Studied the effectiveness of a set of techniques for increasing the interpersonal skills of 16 nonassertive (Wolpe-Lazarus Assertiveness Questionnaire) male schizophrenic inpatients (average age 29 yrs). Ss participated in 12 sessions of interpersonal skills training. The effectiveness of the procedure was evaluated with both self-report (Subjective Units of Discomfort Scale) and behavioral measures. The behavioral measures involved ratings of S performance during both role-played and spontaneously enacted interpersonal situations. Several of the situations were used in training, and others were used only during the assessment sessions. To promote extrasession generalization of behaviors, dyads were formed and were given homework assignments to complete. Compared to a control group matched on age, length of total hospitalization, and pretreatment level of skills, the interpersonal skills training group significantly improved on measures of loudness, fluency, affect, latency, eye contact, content, and self-reported assertiveness. These improvements were apparent across both role-played and spontaneously enacted situations and across trained and untrained situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching mental patients to use client-centered and experiential therapeutic skills with each other.

Investigated the effects of teaching 42 acute and chronic schizophrenic inpatients (mean age 27.6 yrs) to use client-centered reflective and experiential focusing skills with each other. To determine whether these skills could be learned, Ss were pre- and posttested with the Hinterkopf-Brunswick Talker and Helper Rating Scales. Results indicate that Ss were successful in learning the majority of skills taught. Administration of the Discharge Readiness Inventory revealed significant improvement in experimental Ss as compared to controls on community adjustment potential. In addition to statistical results, patients reported other beneficial effects from the training. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of basic social skills.

Proposes a conceptual framework for defining and assessing basic social skills derived from the attempts of social personality psychologists to measure individual differences in nonverbal communication skills. Preliminary testing resulted in the development of a 105-item, pencil-and-paper measure of 7 basic dimensions of social skills, the Social Skills Inventory (SSI). In a series of validation studies using 149 undergraduate students, the SSI demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity in relation to other measures of nonverbal social skill and traditional personality scales (e.g., the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire [16PF], the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale). Scores on the SSI also predicted some social group memberships, typical social behaviors, and the depth of social networks. Evidence suggests that the SSI could prove to be a valuable tool for research in personality and social psychology and for work in applied settings. (57 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contextual considerations in social skills instruction.

Comments on the review of social-skills training programs by G. J. DuPaul and T. L. Eckert (see record 1995-07692-001). It is suggested that a contextual analysis of social behavior has implications for teaching social skills: that students may learn social skills best in the company of people with whom they would typically establish relationships. A need is seen for further development that considers a broader perspective on influential environment and contextual variables related to social-skills acquisition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal communication in parent-adolescent dyads: A brief report on the effects of a social skills training program.

Hypothesized that social skills training could improve communications between adolescents and parents while enhancing improvement in perceived communication and problem-solving behaviors. 25 parent–adolescent dyads (all members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints) participated in a pre- and posttest experimental and control group design. The 18 experimental dyads completed a social skills program. Analyses revealed significant training effects on all social skills in the program, but perceived improvement was slightly higher for parents than for adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social skills training: Behavior rehearsal in groups and dating skills.

Minimal dating, identified as a significant target problem, generally has been thought to result from either conditioned anxiety or negative self-evaluations. In the present study, minimal dating was formulated as the result of a social skills deficit. In accord with this formulation, 2 direct skill-training programs involving behavior rehearsal with and without extrasession tasks were evaluated against attention-placebo and waiting-list controls. 48 college males reporting anxiety and shyness about meeting females were carefully screened and assigned to 1 of 2 groups included in each of 4 treatment conditions. Results indicate that 3 of the 4 skill-training groups showed significant (p     

Social skills training with schizophrenics: A meta-analytic evaluation.

A meta-analytic review of 27 studies on social skills training with schizophrenics was conducted to address 3 critical issues in the literature: (1) the magnitude of treatment effects relative to different outcome measures; (2) the extent of the generalization and maintenance of treatment effects; and (3) the impact of 2 methodological issues: diagnostic clarity and training variations. Social skills training has a strong, positive impact on behavioral measures of social skill, self-rated assertiveness, and hospital discharge rate, and a moderate impact on relapse rate. In addition, when behavioral measures are used, the data support generalization and maintenance of skill gains. However, effects are only marginally significant for broader ratings of symptoms and functioning. Diagnostic homogeneity, the number of techniques used, and the amount of training do not appear to be significantly associated with outcome. Specific directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)