Social Problem-solving Skills Research Articles

Suicidality and social problem-solving skills among individuals with first-episode psychosis participating in Coordinated Specialty Care.

Although suicidal ideation may decrease over the course of participation in specialized clinical programmes for first-episode psychosis (FEP), it is unclear whether such improvements exceed those that occur during treatment as usual. Clarifying the mechanisms underlying reductions in suicidal ideation and behaviour among individuals with first-episode psychosis may highlight important strategies through which specialized clinical programmes can increase the potency of their services to reduce suicidality among this high-risk population. Thus, the goal of this study is to evaluate the longitudinal relationships between suicidality and social problem-solving skills among individuals with FEP participating in Coordinated Specialty Care. Within-subject mediational and moderational models were applied to explore the interrelationships and longitudinal course of suicidality, social problem-solving and duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). Over the first 6 months of care, individuals with FEP experienced improvements in social problem-solving skills that were found to mediate concurrent reductions in suicidality. Although longitudinal changes in social problem-solving skills were moderated by DUP, these results should be interpreted cautiously as they may stem in part from a relatively limited number of participants with longer durations of illness. Improvements in social problem-solving skills during participation in CSC may facilitate reductions in suicidality. Treatments targeting suicidality among individuals with FEP may thus benefit from working to enhance social problem-solving skills among these individuals. Further research is needed to clarify if and how DUP may influence the magnitude of change in social problem-solving skills during participation in CSC.

Baseline Inequalities: Social Skills at Preschool Entry Moderate Math Development

ABSTRACT Low-income children often enter kindergarten behind higher-income peers in math; gaps also exist in social-emotional aspects of school readiness, fueling interest in cross-domain relations and whether – and which – social skills matter for promoting early math skills. With a sample (N = 76) of mostly low-income, minority preschool children, we investigated the extent to which children’s adaptive social problem-solving skills at preschool entry vary and whether these differences moderate early math skill development during the preschool year. Using longitudinal modeling, results show that children begin preschool with varying adaptive social problem-solving skills; these variations are associated with differences in the rates at which children learn early math skills, controlling for baseline language and age. Findings illustrate an increase in the math gap associated with differences in baseline adaptive social problem-solving skills, suggesting that low-income children with more adaptive social problem-solving skills – already present at preschool entry – learn early math skills faster compared to peers with fewer adaptive social problem-solving skills. Results can guide preschool curricula in programs serving low-income children.

Parental Efficacy and Control Questionnaire in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: Preliminary Validation.

Develop and evaluate the preliminary validity of a self-report measure of parents' treatment-related efficacy and control, Parental Efficacy and Control Questionnaire-Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (PECQ-HCT), in a pediatric HCT sample. Participants included 185 parents of children (≤12 years old) receiving HCT participating in a larger, longitudinal study. Parents completed the PECQ-HCT as well as measures of social problem-solving skills, collective family efficacy, family beliefs, and parental distress. Exploratory factor analysis results indicated that a 37-item four-factor model was the best fitting and most theoretically sound, χ2(df = 1,596) = 14,089.95, p < .01, comparative fit index = 0.92, Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.90, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.07. Preliminary subscale scores demonstrated adequate internal consistency as well as good content and criterion-related validity. If replicated using a confirmatory factor analysis in a separate sample, these findings suggest that the four-factor PECQ-HCT measure may be useful for measuring HCT-related parental efficacy and perceived control.

Longitudinal Patterns of Social Problem-Solving Skills in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Pediatric Patients with Cancer and their Caregivers.

Pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoblastic lymphoma are prescribed a daily oral chemotherapy medication named 6-mercaptopurine. Adherence to this medication is vital for survival and decreased risk for disease relapse. Adaptive problem-solving strategies are important for adhering to this complex regimen. This manuscript examined ethnic and racial differences in social problem-solving domains (Social Problem-Solving Inventory) among patients aged 7–19 years old who were diagnosed with cancer; and, their caregivers (N = 139). This was a 15-month longitudinal study. We also examined differences in medication adherence based on behavioral adherence measures. Our study found significant differences between minority and non-minority reporters across multiple social problem-solving domains (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences observed for medication adherence. Our findings underscore the importance of implementing culturally sensitive interventions in clinical care that could ultimately positively impact health behaviors, interactions with healthcare providers, and long-term health outcomes.

Examining the predictor effect of parents’ emotional literacy level on the emotion regulation and social problem-solving skills of children

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to examine the predictor effect of parents’ emotional literacy level on the emotion regulation and social problem-solving skills of children. The sample comprised 480 individuals, including 240 children aged 4–6 years, who attend independent kindergartens in Ankara province, and 240 parents. Data were collected using the General Information Form, the Emotion Regulation Checklist, the Wally Social Problem-Solving Detective Game Test and the Emotional Literacy Scale. The Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were used for data analysis. According to the results, there is a significant correlation between the emotion regulation skills of a child and the emotional literacy skills of the parent. Furthermore, the emotional literacy level of the parent predicts the emotion regulation skills of the child. However, there is no significant correlation between the parent’s emotional literacy skills and the child’s social problem-solving skills.

Enhancing the Social Problem Solving Skill by Implementing the Social Inquiry Learning Model in Primary School

The research was conducted on the basis of skills that must be mastered by students still limited to the low-level thinking. It was because the learning process conducted not to develop and to improve the skill of solving the problem. The purpose of this study was to describe the increase in the socialproblem-solving skills of students. The method of the research was class action research with instruments of the observation sheet, test and questionnaire sheet.There are 24 students of the 5th graders of elementary as the subjects of this research. The data analysis techniques were quantitative and qualitative descriptions. The conclusion of the research was that the social inquiry learning model could improve social problem-solving skills students. In the learning activity, the teacher was the facilitator by observing , guiding, and assesing the student's activities in solving the problem. The activities of the students in solving the students were defining the problems, finding the alternative in solving the problems, choosing the most appropriate way, predicting the solution and evaluating. After the lesson was over, the students were happy and giving positive response because they were involved directly in solving the problems.

Problem Solving Skills in Social Studies Education and Problem Solving Skills of Social Studies Teachers

Problem solving skills are mentioned among the skills which need to be acquired in the Social Studies course. In this study, how the social studies teachers perceived problem solving skills was examined by emphasizing the importance of having individuals acquire problem solving skills through social studies teaching. The sample of the study was composed of social studies teachers. In order to evaluate the preservice teachers' perceptions in relation to problem solving skills, the "Problem Solving Inventory" developed by Heppner and Petersen (1982) and adapted by Şahin, Şahin and Heppner (1993) into Turkish was used. In the analysis of the data, firstly if the obtained data distributed normally was tested with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Since the data obtained from the problem solving inventory showed normal distribution, the Independent Samples T test was used for paired comparisons and One-Way ANOVA was used for multiple comparisons. It was found that the teachers' problem solving skills did not differ significantly according to the variables of gender, age, marital status, length of service and educational status, satisfaction from school of service, frequency of experiencing problems at their schools and the teachers' problem solving skills were at sufficient level.

Coping Power Universal for middle school students: The first efficacy study

IntroductionThe present study examined the efficacy of the universal prevention version of the Coping Power Program in reducing behavioral and emotional problems and in promoting prosocial behaviors in middle-school classrooms. MethodsThe study used a randomized control study design; and the sample included 839 middle-school Italian youths (411 males), attending 40 middle-school classrooms. The students were in seventh or eighth grade, and they had an average age of 13.24 years (SD = .65; range 12–14 years). Ninety students were Africans, the rest were Caucasian. Teachers and parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, before and after intervention. We used the 24-session universal prevention adaptation of Coping Power, which aims to improve children's emotional regulation and social problem-solving skills. ResultsLinear mixed models and effect sizes indicated that behaviors improved as a result of the Coping Power intervention. Specifically, the program was effective in reducing internalizing problems and increasing prosocial behaviors. ConclusionsThe Coping Power Universal effectively adapts an existing evidence-based program, and is believed to be a useful strategy also to improve social emotional skills in middle-school students.

Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in Heart Failure Caregivers.

Heart failure is a serious and complex chronic illness and family caregivers often assist these individuals in performing self-care. Unsurprisingly, caregivers often are overwhelmed by daily activities associated with heart failure management and frequently have depressive symptoms. This study examined predictors (i.e., sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, social support, social problem-solving, family functioning, and objective and subjective burden) of depressive symptoms in 530 informal caregivers of individuals with heart failure in a large cross-sectional, descriptive study in the community. Younger caregivers who provided care for longer periods of time, lived in rural areas, and had less social support and lower problem-solving skills were more likely to have depressive symptoms. These findings emphasize the need for further studies to develop dynamic and innovative approaches that incorporate multiple components to lessen caregiving challenges. Social support and problem-solving skills training may be useful components to lessen depressive symptoms in these younger, rural caregivers.

Pakistani students’ perceptions about their learning experience through video games

Purpose The emergence of digital technological advances pushes educators for understanding and utilizing these technologies for classroom use. The current generation of teenagers has grown up in a networked world where everyone is immersed in technology-based gadgets in everyday life. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate video game-based academic and information literacy (IL) learning of teenagers of private schools of Lahore city. Lahore is the capital city of the province of Punjab. Literary works highlighted the importance of video games in developing academic and IL skills; therefore, the current research aims to reveal this fact in local context. Design/methodology/approach The present study adopted qualitative research design and utilized phenomenological research method to achieve study’s objectives. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The study participants were teenagers (aged 13‒19 years) of elite economic class of private schools where students normally owned latest video game gadgets. Findings Based on the study findings, it is elucidated that playing video games has a positive impact on teenagers’ learning, and it promotes quick thinking. The participants exert effort to achieve goals, take up challenges for completing different points at various stages of games and interact with online competitors. It enhanced their social communication, problem-solving and IL (searching/locating and evaluating) skills. Research limitations/implications The present study has some limitations. First, sample is limited to elite economic private schools of Lahore. Second, the lack of availability of regular video game players has limited the sample size, as Pakistan is a developing country and limited numbers of teenagers use and can afford gaming gadgets. Lastly, the results of this study are based on students’ perceptions, so there is a need to measure actual learning with assessments. Originality/value The results of the study are beneficial for the game developers, teachers, librarians and parents. The education sector may support video games usability as learning tools.

예비유아교사의 정서지능과 사회적 문제해결기술의 관계에서 의사소통능력의 매개효과

본 연구는 예비유아교사의 사회적 문제해결기술과 정서지능 및 의사소통능력과의 관련성을 살펴보고, 정서지능과 사회적 문제해결기술의 관계에서 의사소통능력이 매개 변인으로 작용하는지를 검증하기 위해 실시되었다. 이를 위해 G지역의 4년제 대학에 재학 중인 예비유아교사 179명의 자료를 수집하여 분석하였다. 수집된 자료는 SPSS 22.0 프로그램을 이용하여 기술통계와 Pearson 적률상관계수를 산출하였으며, Baron과 Kenny의 모형에 따라 매개효과를 분석하였다. 또한 Sobel test를 통해 매개효과의 통계적 유의성을 검증하였다. 그 결과 첫째, 예비유아교사의 정서지능, 의사소통능력, 사회적 문제해결기술 간에는 유의미한 정적 상관관계가 나타났다. 둘째, 예비유아교사의 의사소통능력은 정서지능과 사회적 문제해결기술의 관계에서 완전매개의 효과를 나타내었다. 본 연구는 예비유아교사의 사회적 문제해결기술에 있어 정서지능과 의사소통능력의 중요성과 경로를 밝혔다. 이는 정서지능과 의사소통의 측면에서 예비유아교사의 사회적 문제해결기술 증진을 위한 경험적 데이터와 방안을 제시한다는 의의를 가진다.

Enhancing the Social Problem Solving Skill by Implementing the Social Inquiry Learning Model in Primary School

The research was conducted on the basis of skills that must be mastered by students still limited to the low-level thinking. It was because the learning process conducted not to develop and to improve the skill of solving the problem. The purpose of this study was to describe the increase in the social problem-solving skills of students. The method of the research was class action research with instruments of the observation sheet, test and questionnaire sheet.There are 24 students of the 5th graders of elementary as the subjects of this research. The data analysis techniques were quantitative and qualitative descriptions. The conclusion of the research was that the social inquiry learning model could improve social problem-solving skills students. In the learning activity, the teacher was the facilitator by observing, guiding, and assessing the students’ activities in solving the problems. The activities of the students in solving the students were defining the problems, finding the alternative in solving the problems, choosing the most appropriate way, predicting the solution and evaluating. After the lesson was over, the students were happy and giving positive response because they were involved directly in solving the problems.

Enhancing the Social Problem Solving Skill by Implementing the Social Inquiry Learning Model in Primary School

The research was conducted on the basis of skills that must be mastered by students still limited to the low-level thinking. It was because the learning process conducted not to develop and to improve the skill of solving the problem. The purpose of this study was to describe the increase in the social problem-solving skills of students. The method of the research was class action research with instruments of the observation sheet, test and questionnaire sheet.There are 24 students of the 5th graders of elementary as the subjects of this research. The data analysis techniques were quantitative and qualitative descriptions. The conclusion of the research was that the social inquiry learning model could improve social problem-solving skills students. In the learning activity, the teacher was the facilitator by observing, guiding, and assessing the students’ activities in solving the problems. The activities of the students in solving the students were defining the problems, finding the alternative in solving the problems, choosing the most appropriate way, predicting the solution and evaluating. After the lesson was over, the students were happy and giving positive response because they were involved directly in solving the problems.

Development of Mathematics Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills Scale

Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) is one of the most critical and necessary skills in education and workplace; hence, its assessment is a necessary subject of research. CPS assessment tools must be crafted to establish the effectiveness of the pedagogies to CPS development. Therefore, to address these gaps, this study developed a Likert scale called Mathematics Collaborative Problem Solving Skills (MaCoPSS) Scale. The scale development followed the process: (1) item generation, (2) item evaluation, (3) try-outs, (4) Exploratory Analysis, (5) final evaluation. Open-ended questionnaires were administered to 273 respondents. After analysis, 551 statements were produced as initial item pool. The items are evaluated and only 59 of them are used for the draft scale for the try-outs. The scale was administered to 648 students for the try-outs and responses were cleaned then subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Two factors, namely social skills (SS) and problem-solving skills (PSS) were extracted. To establish internal consistency, the factors are correlated to one another (r=0.708), and factor to total raw score (TRS) correlations are highly correlated: SS-TRS (r=0.955) and PSS-TRS (r=0.894). The final scale consists of 27 SS and 17 PSS items. The overall reliability coefficient of the scale is α=0.941. The resulting scale is considered valid and reliable.

The Effect of Joint Control Training on the Performance of Multiply Controlled Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review Relevant to Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities.

Skinner (1957) differentiated the roles of the speaker and the listener in a verbal encounter. Although not extensively emphasized, Skinner suggested an individual often behaves verbally even when responding as a listener. Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often display the absence of important, and basic verbal repertoires that limit their ability to engage in a variety of social skills or problem-solving skills. Joint control suggests that multiply controlled verbal responding involves functional control of two 2 or more stimuli or verbal operants. This systematic literature review provides a summary of publications specifying the relation and implications of the analysis of joint control and joint control training in the acquisition of multiply controlled, non-speaker behaviors (e.g., selection-based behavior; , sequencing behavior). The synthesis suggests that joint control training presents as a promising analytic tool in guiding interventions to teach complex, multiply controlled verbal and non-verbal repertoires to children diagnosed with autism ASD and/or other developmental disabilities. Recommendations for future research in joint control, as well as the implementation of joint control training, are provided.

A randomized controlled trial of the combination of two school-based universal preventive interventions.

The Good Behavior Game (GBG, Barrish, Saunders, & Wolf, 1969) and the PATHS Curriculum (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies; Greenberg, Kusche, Cook, & Quamma, 1995) represent 2 universal, elementary school, preventive interventions which have been shown in large-scale, randomized controlled trials to have an immediate and beneficial impact (GBG, Dolan et al., 1993; PATHS, Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group [CPPRG], 1999) on aggressive/disruptive and off-task behavior. Importantly, both risk behaviors are strong predictors of antisocial behavior, drug abuse, and low educational and occupational attainment in adolescence and young adulthood (Kellam et al., 2008). What has yet to be explored within a randomized controlled trial is whether the combination of these interventions would yield significantly greater impact on aggressive/disruptive and off-task behavior than the GBG alone. One reason for expecting additive if not synergistic effects as a result of combining the two interventions is that the GBG, by increasing attention to task and reducing disruptive behavior in the classroom, may facilitate the acquisition of the emotion regulation, social problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills taught in PATHS. To that end, a group randomized, effectiveness trial was carried out, wherein 27 schools were randomly assigned to one of 3 conditions, (a) the PAX GBG Alone (Embry, Staatemeier, Richardson, Lauger, & Mitich, 2003), (b) PATHS to PAX (that is, the PAX GBG + PATHS), or (c) a standard setting (control) condition. Classroom observations and teacher ratings of student behavior were carried out at pretest and 6 months later at posttest. Limited evidence of the superiority of the combined approach was found and potential reasons why and future directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of Student Self-Management on Generalization of Student Performance to Regular Classrooms.

Abstract The use of a programmed generalization strategy in general education classrooms was evaluated as to the results and the practicality of the process. Results indicate that the intervention, i.e., social skills training and self-monitoring with teacher matching, led to generalization of improved student behavior (meeting their teachers expectations) in up to six different class settings. This behavior was also maintained over time. This evaluation adds to the existing literature suggesting this programmed generalization strategy is a viable means to increase generalization of learned behaviors in numerous class settings with different teachers and classmates. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Introduction Several risk factors have been associated with students who are at-risk for violence, delinquency, school failure, and drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse. They include poorly developed social interaction and resistance skills, poor academic skills, and dysfunctional families (Callahan, Young, West, & Mason, 1994: Schinke, Botvin, & Orlandi, 1991). The focus of successful prevention programs is to reduce or eliminate these risk factors by developing social competence, teaching self-management and problem-solving skills, remediating academic deficits, and strengthening families. The success of these programs depends in part on the extent to which students can use these social and self-management skills in settings other than those in which they were learned. Research has consistently shown that a variety of social skills can be taught to students at-risk and/or to students with disabilities using a structured learning approach encompassing: identifying the skills, modeling, role-playing, and performance feedback (Kiburz, Miller, & Morrow, 1984; Mathur & Rutherford, 1991; Schloss, Schloss, Wood, & Kiehl, 1986). The problem is that these skills have not always generalized to non-training situations (Fox & McEvoy, 1993; Gresham, 1981). Stokes and Baer (1977) define generalization as the occurrence of a response targeted in a training condition also occurring in different, non-training conditions (i.e., across subjects, settings, people, behaviors, and/or time) without the scheduling of the same events in those conditions as were scheduled in the training conditions." In past years, researchers in special education have acknowledged that, in order to reliably produce generalization effects, some type of programming strategy is necessary (Fox & McEvoy, 1993; Marholin & Siegel, 1978; Mathur & Rutherford, 1994; Mathur & Rutherford, 1991; Schloss et. al., 1986; Stokes & Baer, 1977; Stokes & Osnes, 1989). Although previous studies have produced moderate generalization effects, the results have been limited in terms of the number of settings where generalization occurred. The experiments of Lonneker, Brady, McPherson, & Hawkins (1994), Mathur, & Rutherford (1994), Sasso, Melloy, & Kavale (1990), and Smith, Nelson, Young, & West (1992) showed generalization of treatment gains to one setting. Clees' (1994) experiment had generalization occurring in two additional settings. Rhode, Morgan, & Young (1983) had generalization to different classes, however, only one generalization class per student (the students were in the same class with the same teacher all day other than the special education class where the initial training occurred). These previous experimental findings provide support for student self-management to promote generalized use of pro-social, cooperative behaviors in other settings. However, since secondary (middle schools, junior high schools, and high schools) students typically have several different classes per day, frequently all with different teachers, there is a need for strategies that promote the generalization of socially appropriate behaviors in all classes. …

Using World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 in people with schizophrenia: a 4-year follow-up.

Little is known about the changes of people with schizophrenia disability in Taiwan who receive routine treatments under the current mental healthcare system. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) was used to assess and track changes in the degree of disability in people with schizophrenia before and after 4 years of follow-up. Data on 4497 people with schizophrenia were acquired from the Taiwan Data Bank of Persons with Disability. The WHODAS 2.0 was used for disability assessment, and the chi-square test, logistic regression and generalised estimating equations were adopted for statistical analysis. People with schizophrenia exhibited improvement in cognition, mobility and participation among the six domains as well as in the overall score. The degree of disability in all domains remained mild to moderate among people aged 18-64 years; the degree of disability in cognition declined from moderate to severe among patients aged ≥65 years. The degree of disability in all domains remained mild to moderate among people with mild to moderate impairment; among those with severe impairment, the degree of disability in the domains of cognition and life activities declined from moderate to severe and the degree of disability in the domain of mobility declined from mild to moderate. Community-dwelling patients exhibited less degree of disability in all domains than their institutionalised peers. Early detection and treatment and an emphasis on communication and social problem-solving skills in rehabilitation programmes are recommended for people with schizophrenia.

Emotion talk during mother–child reminiscing and book sharing and children’s socioemotional competence: evidence from Costa Rica and Germany

This paper examined cross-cultural differences in emotion talk during reminiscing and book sharing and its link with children’s social problem-solving skills. Twenty-six Costa Rican mothers, representing the cultural model of autonomy-relatedness, and 26 German mothers, representing the cultural model of autonomy, discussed a negative past event and read a book with their 4-year-old children. Children’s social problem-solving skills were also assessed. Results indicated that cultural contexts did not differ in complexity of emotion talk but Costa Rican dyads talked overall more about emotions than German dyads. Costa Rican dyads marked others as the agents of emotions more often than German dyads, but groups did not differ in the frequency of emotions referring to the child as the agent. Across cultural contexts, mother–child dyads provided significantly more emotional attributions than emotion explanations during book sharing, but not during reminiscing. Emotion talk was related to children’s social problem-solving skills for the Costa Rican group, but not for the German group. The higher the amount of emotion talk in Costa Rican dyads during reminiscing, the lower the child’s social problem-solving skills. Results are discussed in light of the culture-specific nature of emotion socialization and its relation to children’s socioemotional development.

Indicated Prevention for Depression at the Transition to High School: Outcomes for Depression and Anxiety.

This study examined the impact of a school-based indicated prevention program on depression and anxiety symptoms for youth during the transition from middle to high school. The High School Transition Program (HSTP) was designed to build social and academic problem-solving skills and engagement during this period of particular vulnerability for adolescents. Students (N = 2664) at six middle schools in the Pacific Northwest completed a universal emotional health screening during the second half of the 8th grade year, and those with elevated depression scores and low conduct problem scores were invited to participate in the trial. Eligible students (N = 497) were randomized to either the HSTP (N = 241) or control (N = 256) conditions. Depression and anxiety symptoms were measured at five time points over an 18-month period using validated self-report measures. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to assess prevention effects and moderators such as baseline symptoms, race, and sex. Results suggested that students randomized to the HSTP group had accelerated rate of reduction in depressive symptoms over time (d = .23) relative to the control group. Students randomized to the HSTP group also had significantly faster rates of change of anxiety scores (d = 0.25). Baseline anxiety severity, race, and sex did not differentially impact the trajectories of symptom outcomes between conditions. Implications for prevention efforts during this normative but stressful period of transition for youth are discussed. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number is NCT00071513.