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Improving the Social-Behavioral Adjustment of Adolescents: The Effectiveness of a Social Skills Group Intervention

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Abstract

We evaluated the efficacy of a social skills training intervention designed to improve adolescents’ social, emotional and behavioral adjustment, Social Skills Group Intervention-Adolescent (S.S.GRIN-A). Seventy-four adolescents (ages 13–16 years) and their parents were randomly assigned to either the treatment group (N = 40) or a wait-list control group (N = 34). Adolescents in the treatment and control groups were compared on global self-concept, social self-efficacy, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems pre- and post-intervention. Youth in the treatment group demonstrated enhanced global self-concept, increased social self-efficacy, and decreased internalizing problems as compared to youth in the control group. No differences in externalizing behavior were found. We discuss the effectiveness of S.S.GRIN-A as a general program designed for addressing a range of adjustment issues and social skill deficits in adolescents.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grant number R44MH68075-2 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The authors would like to thank the parents and youth who participated in this research as well as the clinical staff of 3-C Family Services who expertly delivered the intervention.

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  1. 3-C Institute for Social Development, 1903 North Harrison Avenue, Suite 101, Cary, NC, 27513, USA

    Amanda W. Harrell, Sterett H. Mercer & Melissa E. DeRosier

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  1. Amanda W. Harrell
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  3. Melissa E. DeRosier
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Correspondence to Amanda W. Harrell.

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Harrell, A.W., Mercer, S.H. & DeRosier, M.E. Improving the Social-Behavioral Adjustment of Adolescents: The Effectiveness of a Social Skills Group Intervention. J Child Fam Stud 18, 378–387 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-008-9241-y

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