Higher Social Competence Research Articles

The development of social competence in students with General Learning Difficulties in early primary grades: The necessity of psychological support programmes in schools

AbstractStudents with General Learning Difficulties present low levels of social competence. In order to increase them, students participate in school psychological support programmes. There are no research data available in Greece regarding social competence in students with General Learning Difficulties in the first grades of elementary school. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficiency of an intervention programme, which focused on strengthening their social competence, in the first grades of primary school. The levels of social competence of the students were evaluated before and after the implementation of an 8‐month social empowerment programme, following a mixed‐methods approach with the use of semi‐structured interviews and observation in the school context. The participants were 21 students with General Learning Difficulties, 18 education professionals, whose classes the 21 students attended, together with the 21 parents of these students (one parent per student). The results showed that the social competence of the participants was low before and that it increased after their participation in the intervention programme. In addition, girls had higher social competence than boys both before and after their participation in the intervention programme. These results highlight the benefits of classroom intervention programmes for children with General Learning Difficulties.

Negative first impression judgements of autistic children by non-autistic adults.

Although autism inclusion and acceptance has increased in recent years, autistic people continue to face stigmatization, exclusion, and victimization. Based on brief 10-second videos, non-autistic adults rate autistic adults less favourably than they rate non-autistic adults in terms of traits and behavioural intentions. In the current study, we extended this paradigm to investigate the first impressions of autistic and non-autistic children by non-autistic adult raters and examined the relationship between the rater's own characteristics and bias against autistic children. Segments of video recorded interviews from 15 autistic and 15 non-autistic children were shown to 346 undergraduate students in audio with video, audio only, video only, transcript, or still image conditions. Participants rated each child on a series of traits and behavioural intentions toward the child, and then completed a series of questionnaires measuring their own social competence, autistic traits, quantity and quality of past experiences with autistic people, and explicit autism stigma. Overall, autistic children were rated more negatively than non-autistic children, particularly in conditions containing audio. Raters with higher social competence and explicit autism stigma rated autistic children more negatively, whereas raters with more autistic traits and more positive past experiences with autistic people rated autistic children more positively. These rapid negative judgments may contribute to the social exclusion experienced by autistic children. The findings indicate that certain personal characteristics may be related to more stigmatised views of autism and decreased willingness to interact with the autistic person. The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to the social inclusion and well-being of autistic people.

Adolescents' Cyber-Defending for Cyberbullying: A Socio-Emotional, Beliefs, and Past Experience Model.

Adolescents experiencing cyberbullying attacks (i.e., cyber-victims) can suffer severe psychological harm (e.g., suicide). To combat cyberbullying, people can defend the cyber-victims (cyber-defending). Unlike past studies, we proposed a comprehensive theoretical model of cyber-defending that includes socio-emotional aspects, beliefs, and past bullying experiences (as a bully, victim, and/or witness; face-to-face vs. online). We then empirically tested it among 817 students across seven secondary schools using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results revealed that participants with higher social competence, depression, affective empathy, or stronger pro-victim beliefs reported more cyber-defending. Furthermore, beliefs and past experiences mediated the relationships between socio-emotional factors and cyber-defending. These findings help build a theory of cyber-defending, provide practical implications, and offer future directions for promoting cyber-defending, which will ultimately reduce cyberbullying.

Assessment of Social Competence Perceived in Martial Arts and Tendency towards Sport Activities

Considering that the socially perceived competence in athletes shall continue not only the tendency to the sport activities but also the mutual effects of showing more effort and participation in sport activities, our aim is to assess the perceived competence and tendency towards sport activities in martial arts athletes.The study is composed total of 220 athletes, 92 males and 128 females, in the branches of Kickboxing, Taekwondo, and Boxing. In the research, in order to determine the “Tendency towards Sports Activities” and the “Perceive Social Competence” levels of the athletes are used. The analysis of the data is performed utilizing SPSS 22.0 package program. In group comparisons, the Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test are used. The analysis of the data is assessed at 95% confidence interval and p < 0.05 significance level.There are significant differences determined in perceived social competence, total score of tendency towards sports and emotion search sub dimension based on the genders of the athletes. Based on the branch variable of the athletes, in perceived social competence, general scale tendency towards sports, socializing sub dimension and emotion search sub dimension, significant differences are determined.As a result, it is concluded that they follow up-to-date sports regularly and this increases the social competence and sports tendency of the athletes; that Kickboxing athletes, the one who started the sport on their own will and male athletes have higher social competence and sport tendencies.

Concurrent and prospective effects of income, adversity, and parenting behaviors on middle‐childhood effortful control and adjustment

AbstractThis study examined whether effortful control (executive control [EC], delay ability [DA]) accounted for the effects of early‐childhood contextual factors (income, cumulative risk, parenting) on middle‐childhood adjustment (social competence, internalizing and externalizing problems), or whether contextual factors account for observed associations between effortful control and adjustment. A sample of children and parents (N = 306) were assessed when children were 3‐, 5‐, and 8‐years. Age‐3 income and cumulative risk predicted changes in age‐8 EC. Also, age‐3 parenting predicted changes in effortful control. Warmth and limit setting predicted increases in EC, whereas negativity predicted decreases in DA from the age of 3 to 5, and scaffolding predicted increases in EC and DA from the age of 5 to 8. In turn, age‐8 EC was associated with higher social competence. However, neither age‐8 EC nor DA was associated with internalizing or externalizing above the effects of age‐8 stress (negative life events). The findings indicate that early‐childhood income, adversity, and parenting are relevant in predicting effortful control development into middle‐childhood, and in turn, middle‐childhood social competence. However, concurrent stress appears more relevant to adjustment problems, implying some of the effects of effortful control might be accounted for by the context of risk.

A positive feedback loop between sociality and social competence

AbstractThe social environment of animals influences individual social decisions, which in turn feeds back on the social environment. The two halves of this feedback loop are rarely studied in conjunction. Here, I propose and review evidence for a positive feedback loop between sociality and social competence. Because social competence increases the performance during social encounters of all kinds, positive feedback between selection on social competence and sociality seems plausible. In the first part, I present evidence that social competence is an evolving trait: it exhibits consistent variation between individuals, has fitness consequences and is genetically or non‐genetically transmitted across generations. In the second part, I propose that the feedback loop between sociality and social competence may be mediated by a link to dispersal propensity. I review the available evidence for this possible mechanism: higher social competence and philopatry may be part of the same social phenotype, and in some social species dispersal propensity is heritable. Finally, I discuss the evolutionary consequences of the proposed mechanism for the scenarios that social phenotype is transmitted genetically or plastically across generations.

The Effectiveness of Group Guidance with Cinematherapy and Role-Playing Techniques to Improve Prosocial Behavior

Prosocial development is strongly related to various positive development for students, including academic success, personal achievement, positive relationship with others, and higher social competence. However, some adolescents remain doing antisocial behavior. Thus, this study attempted to examine the effectiveness of a group guidance service with cinematherapy, role playing, and the combination of cinematherapy and role-playing techniques to improve the prosocial behavior of Vocational High School (SMK) students. To do so, it used an experimental design of Randomized Pretest-Posttest Comparison Group by involving 30 students divided into three groups with 10 students in each. Based on Wilcoxon test results, the guidance group with both cinematherapy and role-playing techniques was effective to improve prosocial behavior indicated by the results of (Z=2.81, p<0.05) for cinematherapy, and (Z=2.81, p<0.05) for role playing. In the same way, the combination of both techniques was effective to improve prosocial behavior by gaining (Z=2.81, p<0.05). Additionally, the results of Kruskal Wallis test showed no significant difference in the level of effectiveness of the group with cinematherapy, role playing, and the combination of both techniques, namely (x2=0.23, p>0.05). These findings are expected to encourage counselors to conduct group guidance with cinematherapy and role-playing techniques to improve prosocial behavior.

유아의 성별, 기질 및 놀이성이 사회적 유능감에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of young children's temperaments and playfulness on social competence. We conducted surveys on the temperaments, playfulness, and social competence of 341 children in kindergartens and daycare centers located in Seoul and Incheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, South Korea. The collected data were analyzed through frequency analysis, independent samples t-test, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis using SPSS 23.0. The results of the study are as follows. First, with regard to the social competence of children according to gender, female children had higher social competence than male children. Second, with regard to the relationship between temperament, playfulness, and social competence, the social competence of children was found to be lower but temperament to be active was higher. Social competence was higher as the participatory initiative component of their playfulness was higher. In other words, each temperamental subfactor of the children was correlated with the emotional regulation factor in their social competence and was shown to be partially correlated with other temperamental subfactors. Third, for the relative influence of the children's gender, temperament, and playfulness on social competence, gender had the greatest influence followed by the temperament to be active and participatory initiative. In conclusion, gender, temperament, and playfulness were determined as important predictors of children's social competence, and playfulness has a greater influence on social competence than temperament.

The association of maternal polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy with social competence and problem behaviours at 7 years of age: The MEFAB cohort

BackgroundThe prenatal exposure to maternal n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) might influence the development of social competence and internalizing and externalizing behaviours of the child, because of the numerous functions of PUFAs within the nervous system. MethodsTo analyse the association of selected maternal PUFAs (i.e., AA, EPA, DHA, total n-6, total n-3, and the n-6:n-3 ratio) measured during gestation with childhood social competence and problem behaviours, we examined 311 mother-child pairs from the Maastricht Essential Fatty Acid Birth (MEFAB) cohort. For each woman, PUFA-specific changes in relative concentrations were calculated by identifying the best-fitting curve of PUFA concentration by linear splines of gestational age. The associations of changes in maternal PUFAs in early and late pregnancy with childhood social competence, total problems, internalizing and externalizing behaviours, measured with the Child Behaviour Checklist 4/18 at age 7, were investigated with linear regression analyses adjusted for maternal and children's socio-demographic characteristics. ResultsIn late gestation (i.e., from gestational week 30), an increase in AA was associated with higher social competence, while a decrease in total n-6 was associated with lower externalizing behaviours. No other significant associations were found. DiscussionIn this prospective study, increasing maternal AA and decreasing total n-6 were associated with improved social competence and externalizing behaviours, respectively, in 7-year old children. Nonetheless, the clinical significance of the identified associations is modest and further investigations are warranted to clarify the relationship between maternal AA and total n-6 during pregnancy and childhood social and behavioural development.

Predicting early emotion knowledge development among children of colour living in historically disinvested neighbourhoods: consideration of child pre-academic abilities, self-regulation, peer relations and parental education

ABSTRACTEmotion knowledge, the ability to accurately perceive and label emotions, predicts higher quality peer relations, higher social competence, higher academic achievement, and fewer behaviour problems. Less is known, however, about predictors of early development of emotion knowledge. This study examines emotion knowledge development among children attending pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten programmes in high-poverty urban schools. The study considers child pre-academic abilities, self-regulation, peer relations and parental education as predictors of emotion knowledge development over two years. The sample (n = 1034) of children living in historically disinvested neighbourhoods was primarily Black (85%) and low-income (∼61%). The sample was part of a longitudinal follow-up study of a cluster (school) randomised controlled trial in ten public elementary schools. Children’s emotion knowledge was assessed with a series of tasks three times over a two-year period. At baseline, parents and teachers reported on peer relations, children completed a test of pre-academic abilities, independent observers rated child self-regulation, and parents reported on their educational attainment. Results demonstrate that emotion knowledge increases over time, and pre-academic abilities, self-regulation, peer relations, and parent education independently predict children’s emotion knowledge. This study highlights multiple factors that predict emotion knowledge among primarily Black children living in historically disinvested neighbourhoods.

Frequency and Intensity of Emotional Expressiveness and Preschool Children’s Peer Competence

Children’s emotional expressiveness with peers was examined as a predictor of social competence. Data were collected from 122 preschool children (57 boys, 65 girls; 86 European American, 9 African American, 17 Hispanic, and 10 other ethnicity) over a period of two years. Observations of children’s peer interactions in Year 1 were coded for frequency and intensity of happiness, anger, sadness, and fear. Sociometric interviews and teacher ratings provided assessments of children’s peer competence in both Years 1 and 2. Frequent expression of happiness in Year 1 predicted higher social competence scores in Year 2, whereas frequent anger in Year 1 predicted lower peer competence Year 2. More intense anger and sadness in Year 1 predicted lower peer social competence scores in Year 2. Frequency and intensity of emotional expressiveness in Year 1 accounted for unique variance in peer competence in Year 2.

Effects of Play on the Social Development of Preschool Children

This concept paper aims to provide early exposure and an understanding of the effectiveness of playing on the social development of children. Generally, children that play more are better at self-control, cooperation, thoughtfulness, sociable and have a higher social competence. There are various importances of play that are involved in the process of teaching and learning that affects the social development of children. This concept paper focuses on the theories, definitions, interests, and the components of the social development of children. This paper discusses the implications of play on the social development of children.

Intra- and Interpersonal Factors in Adolescence Predicting Loneliness among Young Adults with Visual Impairments

Introduction: Youths with visual impairments (i.e., blindness or low vision) experience difficulties with forming and maintaining social relationships with peers. These difficulties challenge their psychosocial functioning and put them at risk of being lonelier later in life. The study’s primary goal was to investigate how intra- and interpersonal factors during adolescence influence Loneliness in young adulthood. Methods: Analyses were conducted on data from a national data set. Participants ( N = 96) were interviewed at two different time points. General linear regression and mediation analyses were used to examine the role of social competence, personality, and satisfaction with social support, measured at mean age 17.83, and on Loneliness measured at mean age 23.45. Results: Analyses showed that adolescents with visual impairments who were more emotionally stable and had higher social competence during adolescence were less lonely later in life. In addition, the results showed that emotionally unstable adolescents reported lower social competence and, therefore, were lonelier in young adulthood. Discussion: These findings indicate that factors connected to Loneliness in young adulthood include people’s personality traits and their level of social competence at a younger age. Implications for practitioners: Knowing the underlying causes of an individual’s Loneliness assists practitioners in selecting what type of intervention would be suitable for addressing these issues. Those with low social skills benefit more from social skills training and those with negative biases of their own functioning profit more from interventions based on cognitive approaches. Screening methods could be used in order to determine these underlying issues and personality structure, before assigning persons to specific interventions.

Do Stability of Care and Teacher–Child Interaction Quality Predict Child Outcomes in Early Head Start?

ABSTRACTResearch Findings: This study examined whether children’s outcomes at age 3 were predicted by their experiences in Early Head Start (EHS), focusing on 2 key features of infant and toddler care: (a) stability of care and (b) teacher–child interactions. This study further explored potential interaction effects between stability of care and teacher–child interactions in predicting child outcomes. Three main results were found from secondary analyses of the recently released EHS longitudinal data set the EHS Family and Child Experiences Study (Vogel & Boller, 2009–2012). First, children who had stability of care (no teacher change) were rated as having fewer behavior problems and higher social competence. Second, children were rated as demonstrating better orientation/engagement and emotional regulation when they were in EHS classrooms observed to have higher emotional and behavioral support. Third, teacher–child interactions that are emotionally and behaviorally supportive may mitigate the potential drawbacks of experiencing instability of care on early social-emotional development. Study implications are discussed. Practice or Policy: Both stability and quality teacher–child interactions are important in center-based infant and toddler care, and ensuring quality teacher–child interactions is particularly important for children who experience teacher changes during their infant and toddler years.

The Effect of Entrepreneurship Competency and Adaptability of Business Environment to Financial Performance of Small an Medium Business Units in Bima City

The number of SMEs and the absorption of large manpower does not contribute greatly to the value of production and investment in the agro-industry sector and non-agro industry sector is a reflection of most SMEs in Bima city. This problem occurs because there are so many considerations of it, one of them is lack of competence of SMEs business sector, the limitations in the ability to adapt with the environment changes including market of innovation, access to information and financing, the difficulty in the procurement of capital and cheap, the limitations in innovation, technology changing that will affect all business performance of SMEs. The higher social competence (interaction, social relations, and social adaptation) owned by entrepreneurs, the greater financial success that entrepreneurs will achieve and improve business performance. The research method used is explanatory research by using a survey sampling approach. Conventionally, explanatory research is used to explain the relationship between variables through hypothesis testing. Then, the questionnaires will be distributed 156 SMEs in Bima city where the questionnaire have tested the validity and reliability then processed by using SPSS so that the accuracy of analytical tools can be reliable. The long-term goal to be achieved is increasing the competitive advantage and performance of SMEs throughout Bima city. The specific targets of this research are the enhancement of competitive advantage and performance of SMEs in Bima city with the entrepreneurial competence that is able to build business network and assimilate to external environment changes that encourage the efficient use of resources, improving the ability to build business networks, multiple sources of economic growth, create employment, networking in collaboration with business partners and enhancement of competitiveness, a better service for clients and customers are need to be improved where they are not dependent on imported products that undermine the society economic tenacity, the ability to express themselves in constructing social relationship. The results of the t-test statistic for the obtained variable are t-count of 5.964 with a t-table value of 1.645 (5.964 ˃ 1.661) with a significance value of 0.000 less than 0.05 (0.000 < 0.05), the hypothesis that "Entrepreneurship competency influences SME financial performance in Bima City”. The results of the t-test statistic for the obtained variable are t-count of 0.373 with a t-table value of 1.645 (0.373 < 1.645) with a significance value of 0.710 greater than 0.05 (0.710 ˃ 0.05), hence the hypothesis that "Environmental Adaptability Business influences the financial performance of SMEs in Bima city.

Maternal and paternal reactions to child sadness predict children's psychosocial outcomes: A family‐centered approach

AbstractParents' reactions to children's emotions shape their psychosocial outcomes. Extant research on emotion socialization primarily uses variable‐centered approaches. This study explores family patterns of maternal and paternal responses to children's sadness in relation to psychosocial outcomes in middle childhood. Fifty‐one families with 8‐ to 12‐year‐old children participated. Mothers and fathers reported their reactions to children's sadness and children's social competence and psychological adjustment. Cluster analyses revealed three family patterns: Supportive (high supportive and low non‐supportive reactions from both parents), Not Supportive (low supportive reactions from both parents), and Father Dominant (high paternal supportive and non‐supportive reactions, low maternal supportive and non‐supportive reactions). Supportive families had children with higher social competence and more internalizing symptoms whereas Father Dominant families had children with lower social competence and fewer internalizing symptoms. Not Supportive families had children with average social competence and fewer internalizing symptoms. Findings are discussed in relation to the “divergence model” which proposes that a diverse range of parental responses to children's sadness, rather than a uniformly supportive approach, may facilitate children's psychosocial adjustment.

Developmental cascade model for adolescent substance use from infancy to late adolescence.

A developmental cascade model for adolescent substance use beginning in infancy was examined in a sample of children with alcoholic and nonalcoholic parents. The model examined the role of parents' alcohol diagnoses, depression and antisocial behavior in a cascading process of risk via 3 major hypothesized pathways: first, via parental warmth/sensitivity from toddler to kindergarten age predicting higher parental monitoring in middle childhood through early adolescence, serving as a protective pathway for adolescent substance use; second, via child low self-regulation in the preschool years to a continuing externalizing behavior problem pathway leading to underage drinking and higher engagement with substance using peers; and third, via higher social competence from kindergarten age through middle childhood being protective against engagement with delinquent and substance using peers, and leading to lower adolescent substance use. The sample consisted of 227 intact families recruited from the community at 12 months of child age. Results were supportive for the first 2 pathways to substance use in late adolescence. Among proximal, early adolescent risks, engagement with delinquent peers and parent's acceptance of underage drinking were significant predictors of late adolescent alcohol and marijuana use. The results highlight the important protective roles of maternal warmth/sensitivity in early childhood to kindergarten age, parental monitoring in middle childhood, and of child self-regulation in the preschool period as reducing risk for externalizing behavior problems, underage drinking, and engagement with delinquent peers in early adolescence. Specific implications for the creation of developmentally fine-tuned preventive intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Maternal Weight Predicts Children's Psychosocial Development via Parenting Stress and Emotional Availability

Introduction: Maternal obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for obesity in children and may also affect children's psychosocial outcomes. It is not yet clear whether there are also psycho-emotional mechanisms explaining the effects of maternal weight on young children's weight and psychosocial development. We aimed to evaluate whether maternal body mass index (BMI), mother–child emotional availability (EA), and maternal parenting stress are associated with children's weight and psychosocial development (i.e., internalizing/externalizing symptoms and social competence) and whether these predictors interact with each other.Methods: This longitudinal study included three assessment points (~11 months apart). The baseline sample consisted of N = 194 mothers and their children aged 5–47 months (M = 28.18, SD = 8.44, 99 girls). At t1, we measured maternal weight and height to calculate maternal BMI. We videotaped mother–child interactions, coding them with the EA Scales (fourth edition). We assessed maternal parenting stress with the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) short form. At t1 to t3, we measured height and weight of children and calculated BMI–SDS scores. Children's externalizing and internalizing problems (t1–t3) and social competence (t3, N = 118) were assessed using questionnaires: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1.5–5), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ: prosocial behavior), and a checklist for behavioral problems at preschool age (VBV 3–6: social-emotional competence).Results: By applying structural equation modeling (SEM) and a latent regression analysis, we found maternal BMI to predict higher BMI–SDS and a poorer psychosocial development (higher externalizing symptoms, lower social competence) in children. Higher parenting stress predicted higher levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms and lower social competence. Better maternal EA was associated with higher social competence. We found parenting stress to serve as a mediator in the association between maternal weight and children's psychosocial outcomes. Moreover, children of mothers with an elevated BMI were at greater risk of lower social competence only when their mothers showed low levels of maternal EA (moderation).Conclusion: Interventional studies are needed that investigate the causal pathways between parenting stress, mother–child interaction quality and child outcomes. These aspects might be targets to improve the psychosocial development of the offspring of overweight or obese mothers.

Associations between parental chronic pain and self-esteem, social competence, and family cohesion in adolescent girls and boys--family linkage data from the HUNT study.

BackgroundParental chronic pain has been associated with adverse outcomes in offspring. However, knowledge on individual and family resilience factors in adolescent offspring of chronic pain sufferers is scarce. This study thus aimed to investigate the associations between parental chronic pain and self-esteem, social competence, and family cohesion levels reported by adolescent girls and boys.MethodsBased on cross-sectional surveys from the Nord Trøndelag Health Study (the HUNT 3 study), the study used independent self-reports from adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (n = 3227) and their parents and conducted separate linear regression analyses for girls and boys.ResultsConcurrent maternal and paternal chronic pain was associated with reduced self-esteem, social competence, and family cohesion in girls. Moreover, maternal chronic pain was associated with higher social competence in boys and reduced self-esteem in girls. The majority of the observed associations were significantly different between girls and boys. Paternal chronic pain was not found to be associated with child outcomes.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that the presence of both maternal and paternal chronic pain could be a potential risk factor for lower levels of individual and family resilience factors reported by girls. Further research on the relationship between parental pain and sex-specific offspring characteristics, including positive resilience factors, is warranted. The study demonstrates the importance of targeting the entire family in chronic pain care.

Factors involved in associations between Facebook use and college adjustment: Social competence, perceived usefulness, and use patterns

Although previous research has investigated widespread use of social media, especially Facebook, by youth attending college, the conditions under which these media foster adjustment to college remain unclear. This study tested a model illuminating pathways linking social competence to college adjustment via students’ perceptions about the usefulness of Facebook and ways in which they used the medium. Self-report survey data from 321 college students (M age=20.09; 58% female; 84% Caucasian) attending a major Midwestern university supported the proposed model, indicating that higher social competence could foster or impede college adjustment, depending upon how it was related to beliefs about the usefulness of different Facebook functions and how these perceptions, in turn, were associated with patterns of Facebook use. Findings underscore the importance of considering connections among personal attributes, perception of media effectiveness, and media behaviors in assessing the implications of social media for users’ psychosocial well-being.