Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- . Ahmad Ali Eslami
- . Fazlollah Ghofranipour 1
- . Bagher Ghobari Bonab 2
- . Davood Shojaei Zadeh 3
- . Farkhondeh Amin Shokravi 4
- . Mahmoud Ghazi Tabatabaie 5
1 Department of Health Education, School of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University,
2 Department of Special Education, School of Psychology and Education
3 Department of Health Education, School of Health Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
4 Department of Health Education, School of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University
5 Department of Demography, School of Social Sciences, Tehran University,
Abstract
Background: Many researchers believe that adolescents’ problem behaviors are indicators of
a deficiency in social skills. This study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a prevention
program on reducing problem behaviors in male adolescents. Materials and Methods: In a
preposttest design with randomized control group, 49 students received social skills training(SST).
Follow‑up assessment of outcomes took place 5 months post baseline. The SST program was
administered over the course of 10 weeks (10 sessions of 1 h). The main tools were multiple
problem behaviors index (MPBI) and Social Skills Rating System – student form (SSRS‑S).
The control group (57 students) did not receive any intervention. Intervention effects were
evaluated with t‑test, univariate ANCOVA, and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Significant
difference between groups founded on SSRS at posttest (t = 2.5, P = 0.014) by univariate
ANCOVA. In addition, the findings indicated that variation trend of mean scores of SSRS
in the intervention group was significant (F = 225.3, P < 0.0001). The intervention group
reported Lower levels of MPBI at posttest and follow‑up compared to the control group.
Significant difference between the two groups did not achieved on MPBI scores in the posttest
after adjusting for the pretest scores; however, this difference was significant at the follow
up (F = 5.3, P = 0.020). Conclusion: The results suggest that SST was effective in improving
social competence and preventing problem behaviors among male adolescent. Future
researches must be examined the role of peer and family.
Keywords
with social and affective factors. J Adolesc 2007;30:17‑31.
2. Smetana JG, Campione‑Barr N, Metzger A. Adolescent development
in interpersonal and societal contexts. Annu Rev Psychol
2006;57:255‑84.
3. Carlson GD, Grant KE. The roles of stress and coping in explaining
gender differences in risk for psychopathology among African
American urban. J Early Adolesc 2008;28:375‑404.
4. Jessor R. Problem‑behavior theory, psychosocial development,
and adolescent problem drinking. Br J Addict 1987;82:331‑42.
5. Costa FM, Jessor R, Turbin MS. College student involvement
in cigarette smoking: The role of psychosocial and behavioral
protection and risk. Nicotine Tob Res 2007;9:213‑24.
6. Simons‑Morton BG, Saylor K, Crump AD, Chen R. The effects of
the going places program on early adolescent substance use and
antisocial behavior. Prev Sci 2005;6:187‑97.
7. RahimiMA, SharifiV, MohammdiMR, Farhoudian A, Sahimi IzadianE,
Rad Goodarzi R, et al. Researches on substance us in Iran; 3 decades
evaluation. Hakim J 2006;8:37‑44.
8. PourShabaz A, Shamloo S, Jazayeri AR, Ghazi‑Tabatabai M.
Structural relations of psychological risk and protective factors of
drug abuse in adolescents. Social Welfare 2006;19:31‑54.
9. Azizi F, Mirmiran P, Azadbakht L. Predictors of cardiovascular risk
factors in Tehranian adolescents: Tehran lipid and glucose study.
Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2004;74:307‑12.
10. Jessor R, Turbin MS, Costa FM, Dong Q, Zhang H, Wang C.
Adolescent problem behavior in China and the United States:
A cross‑national study of psychosocial protective factors. J Res
Adolesc 2003;13:329‑60.11. Carlson GD, Grant KE. The roles of stress and coping in explaining
gender differences in risk for psychopathology among African
American urban. J Early Adolesc 2008;28:375‑404.
12. Beam MR, Gil‑Rivas V, Greenberger E, Chen C. Adolescent problem
behavior and depressed mood: Risk and protection within and
across social contexts. J Youth Adolesc 2002;31:343‑57.
13. Gerard JM, Buehler C. Cumulative environmental risk and
youth maladjustment: The role of youth attributes. Child Dev
2004;75:1832‑49.
14. Eslami AA, Ghofranipour F, Bonab BG, Zadeh DS, Shokravi FA,
Tabatabaie MG. Health problem behaviors in Iranian adolescents:
A study of cross‑cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity. J Res
Med Sci 2010;15:155‑66.
15. Eslami AA, Ghofranipour F, Bonab GB, Shojaei ZD, Amin shokravi F,
Ghazi Tabatabaie M. A theoretical model based on problem
behavior theory for explaining problem behaviors: Focusing
on mediating role of psychosocial factors. J Soc Secur Stud
2010;22:59‑81.
16. Gresham FM, Van MB, Cook CR. Social skills training for teaching
replacement behaviors: Remediating acquisition deficits in at‑risk
students. Behav Disord 2006;31:363‑77.
17. Dishion TJ, Dodge KA. Peer contagion in interventions for children
and adolescents: Moving towards an understanding of the ecology
and dynamics of change. J Abnorm Child Psychol 2005;33:395‑400.
18. Cook CR, Gresham FM, Kern L, Barreras RB, Thornton S, Crews SD.
Social skills training for secondary students with emotional and/or
behavioral disorders: A review and analysis of the meta‑analytic
literature. J Emot Behav Disord 2008;16:131‑44.
19. Weisz JR, Jensen Doss A, Hawley KM. Youth psychotherapy
outcome research: A review and critique of the evidence base.
RevPsychol 2005;56:337‑63.
20. Sale E, Bellamy N, Springer JF, Wang MQ. Quality of
Provider‑Participant Relationships and Enhancement of Adolescent
Social Skills. J Prim Prev 2008;29:263‑78.
21. Margalit M. Social skills learning for students with learning
disabilities and students with behavior disorders. Educ Psychol
1995;15:445‑56.
22. Kimber B, Sandell R, Bremberg S. Social and emotional training
in Swedish classrooms for the promotion of mental health:
Results from an effectiveness study in Sweden. Health Promot Int
2008;23:134‑43.
23. Botvin GJ. Preventing drug abuse in schools: Social and
competence enhancement approaches targeting individual‑level
etiologic factors. Addict Behav 2000;25:887‑97.
24. Botvin GJ, Griffin KW, Nichols TD. Preventing youth violence and
delinquency through a universal school‑based prevention approach.
Prev Sci 2006;7:403‑8.
25. Botvin GJ, Griffin KW. Life skills training: Empirical findings and
future directions. J Prim Prev 2004;25:211‑32.
26. Elliott SN, Malecki CK, Demaray MK. New directions in social skills
assessment and intervention for elementary and middle school
students. exceptionality. 2001;9(1‑2):19‑32.
27. Gresham FM, Cook CR, Crews SD, Social skills training for children
and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders: Validity
consideration and future directions. Behav Disord 2004;30:32‑46.
28. Epstein JA, Griffin KW, Botvin GJ. Risk taking and refusal
assertiveness in a longitudinal model of alcohol Use among
inner‑city adolescents. Prev Sci 2001;2:193‑200.
29. Deng S, Roosa MW. Family influences on adolescent delinquent
behaviors: Applying the social development model to a chinese
sample. Am J Community Psychol 2007;40:333‑44.
30. Gottfredson DC, Gerstenblith SA, Soule DA, Womer SC, Lu S. Do
after school programs reduce delinquency? Prev Sci 2004;5:235‑66.
31. Wall AE, Barth RP. Aggressive and delinquent behavior of maltreated
adolescents: Risk factors and gender differences. stress, trauma
and crisis: An International Journal. 2005;8:1‑24.
32. Sohrabi F, Hadian M, Daemi HR, Asgharnezhad Farid AA. The
effectiveness of healthy behavior training program in changing attitude
of students towards substance abuse. J Behav Sci 2008;2:209‑220.
33. Tavousi M, Heidarnia A, Montazeri A, Taromian F, Ahmadi M.
A theory based intervention: Effect on substance abuse prevention
in adolescents. Payesh 2011;10:91‑9.
34. Stevens J. Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences.
3rd ed. Mahwa, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1996.
35. Gresham FM, Elliott SN. Social skills rating system manual. Circle
Pines, MN: American Guidance Service; 1990.
36. Mota CP, Matos PM, Lemos MS. Psychometric Properties of the
Social Skills Questionnaire: Portuguese Adaptation of the Student
Form (Grades 7 to 12). Span J Psychol 2011;14:486‑99.
37. Cohen J. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences.
2nd ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum; 1988.
38. Reitz E, Dekovic M, Meijer AM. The structure and stability of
externalizing and internalizing problem behavior during early
adolescence. J Youth Adolesc 2005;34:577‑88.
39. Bandura A. Self‑ efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavior
change. Psychol Rev 1986;84:191‑215.
)