The Effect of Social Skills Training Program on the Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Adolescent Girls in a High School

Objective: School-based interventions (such as life skills training) have become the mainstay for prevention of some behavioral problems. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a social skills training program on a group of students who were in the first grade of high school in an urban area of Tehran, Iran Method: In a before-after study, a kind of social skill education program named "Right Choices" was used for high school female students. The entire students of a class in a high school participated in the study. The studentsʹ age ranged from 14-16 years. All of the participants lived in an urban area. Demographic characteristics were recorded in a designed questionnaire and included the name, age, educational level of the students and their parents, and prior history of psychiatric and medical condition. The total problem score and each of the subscale scores of the students before and after the study were calculated and compared. Results: The mean age of the 33 participants in the study whose SDQ answer sheets were completed was equal to 15.15±6.2 years (14 to 17 years). The mean total problem score of the participants in the beginning of the program was equal to 14.3±5. After the program, the studentsʹ total problem score and all of the subscale scores improved, however, the differences between pre- and post intervention scores were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Social skills training program may impact the problem behaviors of the adolescent girls.