Depression and Social Skills Among Individuals with Severe and Profound Mental Retardation

Abstract

The relationship between depression and social skills among the population at large has been well described. However, research on depression and social skills for individuals in the severe to profound range of mental retardation is lacking. To account for the lack of research with this population, we investigated the relationship between social skills and depression among 36 individuals with severe and profound MR. Significant differences between individuals with depression and controls were found across the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for individuals with Severe Retardation (MESSIER). The implications of these findings are discussed.