Social Skills Training Group Research Articles

Feasibility and cross-cultural validation of an adapted social skills group training programme (KONTAKTTM CHILD) for Chinese autistic children: a waitlist RCT protocol

IntroductionSchool-age autistic children commonly experience social communication and interaction challenges in their everyday lives. While international evidence suggests that social skills group training (SSGT) programmes can support autistic children, improving...

Empowering Social Growth Through Virtual Reality-Based Intervention for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: 3-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) usually begins in childhood and is often accompanied by impairments in social functioning. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an adjunctive tool to embed in social skills training to enhance the social skills of children with ADHD, but its effectiveness requires further investigation. This study aims to enhance the social skills of children with ADHD by examining the feasibility and effectiveness of VR-based training in comparison to traditional social skills training. A 3-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted with 90 children with ADHD aged 6-12 years. Participants were randomly assigned to 3 weeks of 12-session VR-based social skills training, traditional social skills training, or a waitlist control group of equivalent duration. Outcome measures included assessments by a clinical psychologist who was blinded to group assignments, the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scale, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, and the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire, conducted at baseline and after the intervention. The preliminary results support the feasibility and acceptability of VR training for children with ADHD aged 6-12 years. Analysis showed that the VR and traditional social skills training groups experienced a statistically significant improvement in the clinical psychologist assessment of social skills and parent-rated self-control, initiative, and emotional control after the intervention compared with baseline. The VR group performed significantly better than the traditional social skills group on social skills assessed by clinical psychologists (F2,85=76.77; P<.001) and on parent-rated self-control (F2,85=18.77; P<.001), initiative (F2,85=11.93; P<.001), and emotional control (F2,85=17.27; P<.001). No significant between-group differences were found for parent-rated cooperation and inhibition (all P>.05). The findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the feasibility and superior effectiveness of VR-based social skills training compared to traditional approaches for enhancing social skills and related executive functions in children with ADHD. These results suggest that VR may be a valuable tool to embed within social skills interventions for this population. Further research is warranted to explore the long-term impacts and generalizability of these benefits. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05778526; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05778526. RR2-10.2196/48208.

Effect of Social Skill Training on Social Function in Patients with Schizophrenia

Objective: To explore the effect of Social Skills Training (SST) on the social function of inpatients with schizophrenia. Methods: A total of 40 patients with schizophrenia (20 in the intervention group and 20 in the control group) were selected from a psychiatric hospital in Shanghai for 10 times (once a week) of social skills training. The control group was treated with routine hospitalization (drug therapy and routine hospitalization nursing) for 10 weeks. Social Disability Screening Schedule before and after intervention for patients enrolled in the intervention group (Social Disability Screening Schedule, SDSS and Scale of Social Function in Psychosis Inpatients, SSPI). Conclusion: The results of social skills training on SDSS and SSPI were different between the two groups, and there was no statistical value (P &gt; 0.05). Observation of patients in this group, when undergoing social skills training, SSPI score was significantly better than the control group (P &lt; 0.01) and SDSS score was significantly lower than the control group (P &lt; 0.01), the differences were statistically significant. Social skills training and social work group intervention can improve psychiatric symptoms and further enhance social function in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia.

Evaluation of a Life Functioning Goal Attainment Psychosocial Treatment Program for Adults with Psychotic Disorders

Purpose: To determine if the use of an integrated goal attainment cognitive behavioral social skill training program can impact serious mental illness related treatment and life functioning avolition. Methods: The attendance and goal attainment progress of thirty-eight serious mental ill diagnosed adults admitted to psychiatric clinic’s integrated goal attainment cognitive behavioral social skills group training program were studied. Demographic (age, gender, race, education), clinical (psychiatric diagnosis, trauma history), and life experience (work, income, housing, relational status, friendship support, incarceration and drug arrest histories) variables were compared to identify possible program attendance and goal attainment level associations and differences. Results: Participants attended a mean of 8 program days of the 6 to 8-week program with younger and unmarried attending significantly more days than older and married participants. Greater attendance and participation rates were positively correlated with higher levels of assessed goal attainment. Conclusions: Individuals with serious mental illness conditions are likely to voluntarily attend and participate in psychosocial intervention programs focused on major area life functioning goal attainment. Higher levels of attendance and participation were associated with higher levels of short-term goal attainment. Functioning focused psychosocial interventions may be effective in reducing serious mental illness related avolition.

Effectiveness of Social Virtual Reality Training in Enhancing Social Interaction Skills in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Protocol for a Three-Arm Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders among children. Children with ADHD have challenges in understanding social cues and behavioral problems when entering a social setting. Virtual reality (VR) has been applied to improve cognitive behaviors in children with ADHD. Previous studies have not adopted VR to improve social interaction competence and appropriateness in children with ADHD. VR offers a more effective alternative to therapeutic strategies for children with ADHD. This study aims to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of social VR training in enhancing social interaction skills compared to traditional social skills training in children with ADHD. We hypothesize that participants in the social VR training group are likely to perform better on social interaction skills than those in the traditional social skills training group. In this nonblinded, 3-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT), 90 participants with ADHD recruited from the community will be randomized 1:1:1 to the social VR intervention group, traditional social skills training group, or waitlist control group. The child psychiatrist will conduct assessments for each participant at baseline and after the intervention. The Social Skills Rating Scale-Parent will be used to assess the social interaction skills of the participants before and after the intervention. Participants in the social VR intervention group and traditional social skills training group will receive twelve 20-minute training sessions for 3 weeks. The participants in the waitlist control group will receive no training. The primary outcome measure is training acceptability and compliance. The secondary outcome measures are the child psychiatrist's assessment and the Social Skills Rating Scale-Parent before and after the intervention. Another outcome measure is the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and Attention. Differences in the scale scores will be examined using a t test and an F test. This study is set to commence in the fourth quarter of 2023. It is anticipated that participants in the social VR intervention group will exhibit superior social interaction skills than those in the traditional social skills training group. To our knowledge, this RCT is the first study examining the feasibility and effectiveness of a social VR-based intervention for enhancing the social interaction skills of children with ADHD in Hong Kong. The VR-based social skills training is expected to provide a safer and more effective environment for children with ADHD to learn than the traditional approach. This study can lead to a full-scale RCT. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05778526; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05778526. PRR1-10.2196/48208.

School-based social skills group training (SKOLKONTAKT™): a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Differences in socio-communicative behaviors contribute to social challenges for autistic learners at school and, in turn, are associated with increased risks of educational underachievement, social exclusion, and mental health issues. Given that intervention delivery in natural contexts may enhance skills generalization, build support capacities in society, and have practical advantages for youth and families, SKOLKONTAKT™ has been adapted from the clinically based social skills group training KONTAKT™ for mainstream educational settings to mitigate these risks. A pilot, randomized controlled trial with active controls was conducted in a mainstream Swedish high school. Autistic learners and students with social skills challenges (N = 33; MAGE = 17.5) were randomized to SKOLKONTAKT™ (n = 17) or active control (n = 16). Efficacy was measured at post and follow-up (3 months) on social skills [Social Skills Group Assessment Questionnaire (SSGQ); primary outcome] by parent-, self-, and (masked) teacher-report as well as self-reported life quality and social goal attainment. Despite COVID-19 challenges, 70.6% (n = 12) completed SKOLKONTAKT™, and 87.5% (n = 14) completed control groups. SKOLKONTAKT™ improved on a series of items on SSGQ as well as subjective life quality beyond controls. A larger proportion of social goals were attained, and side-effects were of little impact and proportionally fewer in SKOLKONTAKT™. SKOLKONTAKT™ is a safe, feasible, and promising intervention option for autistic learners in mainstream educational settings. A larger-scale study is desirable to confirm the effects identified in this pilot study.

Linking intervention experiences to child outcomes in a school‐based social skills training program

AbstractSmall group social skills training (SST) is recommended to improve the social behavior and peer relations of rejected children, but child responses vary. This study explored variation in intervention experiences that emerged in a large study of a school‐based SST program for peer‐rejected children and associations with program outcomes. One hundred and seven peer‐rejected elementary students (60% White, 15% Black, 22% Latinx, 3% Multi‐racial, and 65% male) were identified by classroom sociometrics and randomly assigned to a year‐long small group SST program. Normative classmates served as partners. Among the peer‐rejected targets of the intervention, those with relatively better pretreatment social skills received more SST sessions and were more positively engaged, whereas those with fewer social skills and more behavior problems experienced more negative peer responses during SST sessions and less collateral support from teachers and parents. Hierarchical regressions (controlling for pretreatment scores) revealed attenuated intervention benefits for children who received more negative peer responses during SST and less parent and teacher support. The findings suggest that, within a sample of peer‐rejected children, those with more severe skill deficits and elevated behavior problems at pretreatment have lower‐quality SST experiences that reduce intervention benefits, even when normative classmates serve as peer partners. These issues warrant careful attention in future SST intervention design and research.

Group therapy in Schizophrenia. What’s the evidence?

IntroductionThe American Psychiatric Association and NICE’s Guidelines for schizophrenia recommend psychosocial interventions as adjuvants to pharmacological treatment, highlighting the role of cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis, psychoeducation, family intervention, cognitive remediation, autonomy training, social skills training, and supported employment. Although highly recommended in their individual forms current guidelines make no definitive statement about their group applicability.ObjectivesThe goal of this work was to critically review the evidence of group interventions in schizophreniaMethodsNon-systematic review of the literature with selection of scientific articles published in the past 10 years; by searching Pubmed and Medscape databases using the combination of MeSH descriptors. The following MeSH terms were used: “schizophrenia”, “group therapy”.ResultsGroup therapy has shown important benefits in different conditions over the years, likely through mechanisms such as peer motivation, controlled confrontation, increased insight and even a tendency to homogenous results between group participants through peer influence. These results have been reproduced in schizophrenia though the benefits of applying group concepts to structured psychosocial interventions is still under study.ConclusionsRecent evidence suggests some evidence-based interventions can be applicable in group form, namely social skills training, cognitive remediation, psychoeducation, and multifamily groups, synergizing the already known benefits with newer therapy models and decreasing costs for patients and healthcare systems. Adequate controlled studies between individual and group therapy will shed further light on this matter.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Efficacy of the Fast Track Friendship Group Program for Peer-rejected Children: A Randomized-Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the benefits of the Fast Track Friendship Group program implemented as a stand-alone school-based intervention on the social cognitions, social behavior, peer and teacher relationships of peer-rejected students. Method Over four successive years, 224 peer-rejected elementary students (57% White, 17% Black, 20% Latinx, 5% multiracial; 68% male; grades 1–4; Mage = 8.1 years old) were identified using peer sociometric nominations and randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 110) or a treatment-as-usual control group (n = 114). Four school districts serving economically-disadvantaged urban and rural communities participated. Intervention involved weekly small group social skills training with classmate partners, with sessions tailored to address individual child needs. Consultation meetings held at the start and mid-point of intervention were designed to help teachers and parents support the generalization of targeted skills. Results Multi-level linear models, with children nested within schools (controlling for demographics and baseline scores) documented improvements in social-cognitive skills (direct assessments of emotion recognition and competent social problem-solving), social behavior (teacher ratings of social skills and externalizing behavior), and interpersonal relationships (peer sociometric nominations of peer acceptance and friendships, teacher-rated student-teacher closeness). Significant effects were generally small (ds = .19–.36) but consistent across child sex, grade level, and behavioral characteristics. Conclusions The intervention proved feasible for high-fidelity implementation in school settings and produced significant improvements in the social adjustment of peer-rejected children, validating the approach as a school-based Tier 2 intervention.

A Pilot Study on Efficacy of a Play-Based Social Skills Training Group for First-Grade Elementary Children with Autism in Taiwan

ABSTRACT A social skills training has previously resulted in positive improvements in social skills among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This pilot study developed a play-based social skills training protocol for first-grade elementary children with ASD in Taiwan and determined its efficacy. Using a single-group pretest-posttest design, this study recruited seven first-grade elementary children with ASD aged 6–7 years. Seven children enrolled in a regular classroom participated in a 12-week play-based social skills training program which was led by an occupational therapist. The improvement of social skills was evaluated by occupational therapists through video coding and goal attainment scales. Caregivers and teachers were asked to complete the communication and socialization domains of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-Third Edition. The results showed significant improvements in the children’s social skills performance between the pretest and posttest based on video coding and goal attainment scale. Significant improvements in the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-Third Edition growth scale values of receptive and written language subdomains were observed. This study established an intervention protocol for first-grade children with ASD that could be used as a guide by clinical professionals who work with children with ASD who experience problems adapting to elementary school.

Social Skills Group Training for Students with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities in Senior High School-A Qualitative Multi-Perspective Study of Social Validity.

Including students with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) in regular classrooms has become a law-enforced common practice in many high- and middle-income countries. Still, without appropriate actions supporting the implementation of inclusive pedagogical practice, students with NDDs remain at increased risk for absenteeism, bullying and underachievement. There is limited knowledge on the feasibility of social skills group training (SSGT) in naturalistic settings. Using a qualitative approach, the objective of this study was to explore the lived experiences of (i) students diagnosed with autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and those showing subclinical social difficulties receiving either SSGT or active social control activities in a regular senior high school setting, (ii) teachers providing SSGT or the active control activity and (iii) school leaders facilitating the implementation of these actions. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, comparison between real life versus digital administration of SSGT was also examined. Within a randomized controlled pilot trial of the school-tailored SSGT SKOLKONTAKT®, the primary perspectives of 20 students, teachers and school leaders on SSGT or the social control activities were explored. All groups perceived SSGT to enhance school attendance and academic achievement of students, as well as teacher inclusion skills and the social school climate. Findings indicate that SSGT is largely feasible and socially valid, and broader implementation of SSGT in school settings appears meaningful.

Rare variants in the outcome of social skills group training for autism.

Exome sequencing has been proposed as the first-tier genetic testing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we performed exome sequencing in autistic individuals with average to high intellectual abilities (N=207) to identify molecular diagnoses and genetic modifiers of intervention outcomes of social skills group training (SSGT) or standard care. We prioritized variants of clinical significance (VCS), variants of uncertain significance (VUS) and generated a pilot scheme to calculate genetic scores of rare and common variants in ASD-related gene pathways. Mixed linear models were used to test the association between the carrier status of VCS/VUS or the genetic scores with intervention outcomes measured by the social responsiveness scale. Additionally, we combined behavioral and genetic features using a machine learning (ML) model to predict the individual response. We showed a rate of 4.4% and 11.3% of VCS and VUS in the cohort, respectively. Individuals with VCS or VUS had improved significantly less after standard care than non-carriers at post-intervention (β=9.35; p=0.036), while no such association was observed for SSGT (β=-2.50; p=0.65). Higher rare variant genetic scores for synaptic transmission and regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II were separately associated with less beneficial (β=8.30, p=0.0044) or more beneficial (β=-6.79, p=0.014) effects after SSGT compared with standard care at follow-up, respectively. Our ML model showed the importance of rare variants for outcome prediction. Further studies are needed to understand genetic predisposition to intervention outcomes in ASD.

6.13 What Happens to Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder After Online Group Social Skills Training? A Pilot Study Using an Online, Personalized Peer Group for Application of the Learned Social Skills

Evidence-based social skills training for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is manualized, using multiple strategies, including direct instruction and modeling. Declining effect sizes over time, and measurement limitations, raise questions about the success in transitions from formal training to application of learned skills in naturalistic settings. The objectives of this presentation are to: 1) create online, personalized peer groups for children with ASD to implement acquired social skills; and 2) propose novel methods to measure children's social skills. Twelve participants with ASD completed 4 sessions in 4 weeks. Prior to joining, each participant was prescreened and grouped with others based on similar communication level and interests/hobbies. Participants joined their 60-minute online video group of 5 to 7 typical and ASD youth, led by a moderator trained by a board-certified behavioral analyst. They freely engaged in conversations and activities. Sessions were recorded and individually analyzed to assess social engagement (eg, time in session, percentage of sessions attended, percentage of time speaking), the amount of initiated or sustained conversation (eg, number of times talked, total talk duration), and the overall quality of reciprocity (eg, time vocalizing, wait time before speaking). Youth (median age = 15.9 years, interquartile range [IQR] 14-21; 75% male) participated in the groups. There was a 3.6% increase in the percentage of the session attended (ie, staying on camera), and a 2-minute decrease in total talk duration. An increase in the number of times talked and the percentage of speaking was also observed. Overall, the equity of voice became more evenly distributed, and the number of times a participant reflected before responding increased from 76 to 101 times during a 1-hour session in 1 peer group. Our results suggest that an online peer group provides an opportunity for children with ASD to effectively practice the application of acquired social skills, measured by novel objective tools.

Effectiveness of Social Skills Training Groups in Persons with Severe Mental Illness: A Pre-Post Intervention Study.

Background:The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a social skills training program provided at the occupational therapy unit of a tertiary care center in India.Methods:The study used a pre–post interventional design where 101 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder, between 18 and 60 years, who provided written informed consent, were assessed on the Vellore Assessment of Social Performance (VASP) during the first week of attendance (baseline). Subsequently, they were enrolled in a six-session social skills group training program for two weeks. They were assessed on the VASP after one week (midterm assessment) and at the end (posttest) of the intervention. A follow-up assessment was done two weeks after cessation of the intervention. The participants were also scored on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) at four time points.Results:Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant differences in the VASP scores between time points, that is, F(baseline, midterm) = −4.34 and P = 0.001; F (baseline, postgroup) = −6.92 and P = 0.001; and F (baseline, follow-up) = −8.71 and P = 0.001. The correlation between the BPRS and VASP scores was also significant at each time point.Conclusion:The social skills group training protocol seems to be effective and feasible for the Indian population. Since conducting multicenter clinical trials might not always be possible in resource-constrained settings, this study might be considered preliminary evidence for context-specific, peer-/family-supported social skills training.

The effectiveness of a combination of Occupational Therapy and Social Skills Training in people with schizophrenia: A rater-blinded randomized controlled trial

Introduction This study aimed to assess the impact of a holistic combination of Occupational Therapy and Social Skills Training on occupational performance, social participation, and clinical symptoms in people with schizophrenia. Method 60 people with schizophrenia were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received standardized Social Skills Training once a week for a total of 10 sessions, while the other group received a combination of Occupational Therapy and Social Skills Training once a week for a total of 16 sessions. Results A greater increase was determined in the scores of COPM total performance/satisfaction and the Community Integration Questionnaire in the Occupational Therapy and Social Skills Training group. Furthermore, these achievements were sustained in the Occupational Therapy and Social Skills Training group compared to the Social Skills Training group at the 6-month follow-up. Conclusion The clients received the combination of Occupational Therapy and Social Skills Training showed a better improvement compared to the Social Skills Training group in terms of occupational performance, social participation, and severity of clinical symptoms. The use of Occupational Therapy in a holistic approach in psychosocial rehabilitation of people with schizophrenia can increase their functionality and social participation. Further studies are needed to assess long-term effects of Occupational Therapy in schizophrenia.

KONTAKT® social skills group training for Australian adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

While there is a large body of evidence drawn from randomised controlled trials supporting the efficacy of SSGT in autistic adolescents, the control arms of these studies are almost exclusively treated either as usual or waitlist. Addressing this limitation, 90 verbal autistic adolescents (70% male) aged 12-17years (M = 13.77, SD = 1.6) with IQ > 70 participated in this pragmatic two-armed randomised controlled trial design study evaluating the efficacy of sixteen 90-min sessions of SSGT KONTAKT® (n = 46) in comparison to a manualised interactive group cooking programme (n = 44) of equal dosage controlling for the potentially confounding effects of exposure to a social group context. The primary outcome was the adolescents' progress towards achieving their personally meaningful social goals at follow-up. Secondary outcomes were changes in autistic traits, quality of life, facial emotion recognition skills, social anxiety, and loneliness. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post intervention and 12-week follow-up. The interaction between time point and group allocation was investigated through a random-effects regression model (linear mixed model) to examine changes in the dependent outcomes. While intention-to-treat analysis (N = 90) demonstrated that both SSGT (ES = 1.36, p < .001) and active control (ES = 1.10, p < .001) groups made progress towards their personally meaningful social goals at follow-up, KONTAKT® participants demonstrated greater progress in social goal attainment than their peers in the active control group (ES = 0.35, p = .04). Findings suggest that KONTAKT® is efficacious in supporting autistic adolescents to achieve their personally meaningful social goals compared to other prosocial group activities.Trial registration: (1) Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12617001117303, registered 31 July 2017, anzctr.org.au; (2) ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03294668 registered 22 September 2017, https://clinicaltrials.gov .

"I Met Someone Like Me!": Autistic Adolescents and Their Parents' Experience of the KONTAKT® Social Skills Group Training.

This study captured the experiences of 35 autistic adolescents and their parents after completing a 16-session variant of social skills group training KONTAKT® (ACTRN12617001117303). Semi-structured interviews explored participants' and relatives' perceptions of KONTAKT® and associated social outcomes. Adolescents were classified as either high (HR, n = 23) or low (LR, n = 12) responders based on the primary outcome effects during the previous trial. Thematic analysis revealed that both HR and LR participants their parents were satisfied with KONTAKT®, noting consistent patterns of improvement in adolescents' social understanding, communication, relationships, and empowerment, although positive reports were more frequent among HR than LR groups. This study enhances the understanding of the impact of SSGT, which is key in improving their content, principles, and administration.

The Counseling Group of Anger Management and Social Skills Training Techniques to Reduce Physical Aggression Behavior

Adolescent development aspects that must be attain in overcoming problems are having emotional maturity, intellectuality and awareness of social responsibility so it is not to trigger new conflicts. However, the reality is conflict that often occur in dealing with a problem tend to appear negative behavior, especially physical aggressive behavior. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of group counseling of anger management techniques and social skills training techniques to reduce physical aggression in junior high school students. A total of 21 students were involved in experimental research using randomized pretest posttest comparison group design. The analysis of the results of Wilcoxon and Kruskal Wallis shows that group counseling of anger management techniques, social skills training techniques and a combination of the two techniques are effective in reducing students' physical aggression behavior. Combining anger management and social skills training group counseling techniques are more effective in reducing students' physical aggression behavior compared to the self-management technique group and social skills training. This study recommends the integration of anger management techniques and social skills training techniques to reduce physical aggression in junior high school students.

Caracterização de Treinamentos de Habilidades Sociais em Grupo para Crianças: Revisão Integrativa da Literatura

As habilidades sociais (HS) são classes de comportamentos que podem contribuir para a prevenção e redução de problemas de comportamento, bem como para a promoção do desenvolvimento socioemocional. O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar os treinamentos de HS em grupo de crianças para seis a 12 anos com desenvolvimento típico e atípico, em publicações nacionais e internacionais. Para isso, foi realizada uma revisão integrativa de literatura de publicações de 2009 a 2019, com descritores em português, inglês e espanhol, nas bases de dados SciELO, BVS, PsycInfo, SCOPUS e Web of Science. Foram selecionadas 29 publicações e os resultados indicaram o predomínio de estudos internacionais e com treinamentos para crianças com desenvolvimento típico, realizados por psicólogos, principalmente em contextos escolar e de saúde. Os temas trabalhados nas sessões não variaram em função de diagnósticos clínicos, entretanto a quantidade média de sessões foi maior em intervenções destinadas às crianças com desenvolvimento atípico. Constatou-se a influência do contexto nos programas de intervenção, embora os efeitos dos treinamentos tenham variado conforme o tamanho da amostra, duração, local de ocorrência, método para coletar as informações e medidas usadas para avaliar os resultados. Sugere-se que tais aspectos dos treinamentos sejam analisados considerando-se as variáveis em conjunto.

The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS): Psychometric Properties of the Amharic Version in Ethiopian University Student Sample

The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) assesses the fear and avoidance associated with social anxiety and has been validated in several languages. The present study describes the adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Amharic version of the LSAS in Ethiopian university student samples. Two studies were carried out. In the first study, 429 participants completed a survey, including demographic information, and the Amharic version of the LSAS. In the second study, 32 participants completed a survey comprising demographic information and the Amharic version of the LSAS. The participants were recruited using a convenience sampling method. The findings suggest a two-factor solution (CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.92, and RMSEA = 0.06) consistent with the original factor structure and excellent reliability coefficient. Finally, the Amharic version of the LSAS can demonstrate good sensitivity to treatments (solution-focused and social skills training groups) in a nonclinical sample of university students in Ethiopia. Taken together, the present findings indicate that the LSAS is a suitable psychometric measure to assess social anxiety in Ethiopia.