The Effect of Life Skills Training on Social and Coping Skills, and Aggression in High School Students

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is known as a stressful period in the process of growth which they experience a lot of emotional, physical and cognitive changes at the same time. It is important to develop life skills in this age group. The goal of the study was whether life skills training affect the social and coping skills and aggression in high school students.Materials and Methods: A total of 100 high school students entered the study using a pretest-posttest assessment. All received life skills training (including coping skills, social skills and aggression control) during four sessions that each lasted 120 minutes. To compare the results before and after life skills training, four questionnaires including the individual characteristics of the study samples, the aggression test, the social skills test, and the coping skills checklist were used.Results: Life skills training had a positive and significant effect on social and coping skills. The results also showed there was a significant decrease in aggression among students.Conclusion: It is necessary to implement life skills training programs for a better and comprehensive development in students. Moreover, considering the formation of personality at an early age and the current situation of society, learning these skills at an early age seems more desirable.