The Effect of Social Skills Training on Decreasing the Aggression of Pre-school Children

• Main Authors: S. Davood Hosseini-Nasab, Eskandar Fathiazar, Shahrum Vahedi, Mohammad Moghaddam, Arezu Kiani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2007-09-01
• Series: Iranian Journal of Psychiatry
• Subjects: Aggression; Preschool child; Prevention and control; Psychological adaptation
• Online Access: https://ijps.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijps/article/view/447

Objective: Social skills training (SST) aims to increase the ability to perform key social behaviors that are important in achieving success in social situations. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of social skills intervention for aggressive pre-school children. Method: The sample consisted of 25 children (13 for the experimental group, 12 for the control group). Children in intervention and Control groups were assessed by parent ratings, teacher ratings at-home and kindergarten. Assessments were made at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and three-month follow-ups. The assessment battery consisted of the social skills rating system-teacher form, teacher-rated aggression, and intelligence test. These skills were carried out in 11 sessions and on two stages and were taught twice a week. Results: Significant results emerged with respect to aggression and social skill levels. With respect to parent ratings, aggressive behaviors decreased more so in the treatment group than the control group. In addition, social skills significantly increased between post-treatment and follow-ups in the treatment group compare to the control group. In other words, teacher ratings of social behavior showed improvement over time. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that aggression would decrease in the treatment group largely over time than the control group. Several directions for future research are discussed, including the addition of more sessions to the curriculum, a parent-involvement component, and a contingency management program. It would also be helpful to evaluate SST in a larger number of pre-school centers and to extend follow-up assessments beyond three months periods.