Abstract
The social skills rating system (SSRS) is used to assess social skills and competence in children and adolescents. While its characteristics based on United States samples (US) are published, corresponding Australian figures are unavailable. Using a 4-week retest design, we examined the internal consistency, retest reliability and measurement error (ME) of the SSRS secondary student form (SSF) in a sample of Year 7 students (N = 187), from five randomly selected public schools in Perth, western Australia. Internal consistency (IC) of the total scale and most subscale scores (except empathy) on the frequency rating scale was adequate to permit independent use. On the importance rating scale, most IC estimates for girls fell below the benchmark. Test–retest estimates of the total scale and subscales were insufficient to permit reliable use. ME of the total scale score (frequency rating) for boys was equivalent to the US estimate, while that for girls was lower than the US error. ME of the total scale score (importance rating) was larger than the error using the frequency rating scale. The study finding supports the idea of using multiple informants (e.g. teacher and parent reports), not just student as recommended in the manual. Future research needs to substantiate the clinical meaningfulness of the MEs calculated in this study by corroborating them against the respective Minimum Clinically Important Difference (MCID).
Highlights
Social skills include socially acceptable learned behaviours that enable people to interact successfully with others and avoid undesirable responses [1]
Lower α-values were identified on the empathy, cooperation, and self-control subscales for girls, all of which were in the moderate category [59]
Standardised tools are increasingly being recognised as an essential component of evidence-based practice
Summary
Social skills include socially acceptable learned behaviours that enable people to interact successfully with others and avoid undesirable responses [1]. These include sharing, initiating relationships, helping, giving compliments, selfcontrol, understanding of others’ feelings, and leadership in group situations [2,3]. Social competence in children and adolescents serves as a mechanism for meaningful interactions with others, facilitates the formation of friendships, and the engagement in a range of occupations required by life roles [5]. Positive associations exists between social competence, academic performance, and participation in everyday life activities [6,7,8]. Not all individuals acquire adequate competence in social skills
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