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Stress and coping skills for elementary school children: A comparative study on the relative effectiveness of a social skills training program and a problem-solving skills training program
Abstract
This research investigated the relative effectiveness of a social skills training program and a problem solving skills training program in the prevention of stress among elementary school children. The study also examined the effectiveness of the training programs on children's peer relations, behavior problems, and interpersonal-cognitive problem-solving skills. Sixty (30 girls, 30 boys) fifth and sixth graders from a coeducational public elementary school in Nebraska participated in this study. Students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) social skills training, (b) problem solving skills training, and (c) control condition. Students in the social skills training and problem solving skills training conditions met weekly for an hour for eight consecutive weeks. Students in the control condition attended their regular scheduled classes. Testing for all students was conducted one week prior to the treatment period, and one week following the eight-week treatment period. The assessments included a teacher's rating of students on the Stress Response Scale, and student's responses on the Index of Peer Relations, Youth Self-Report, and Means-End Problem-Solving Procedure. A mixed model repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted for each dependent measure. Results indicated no significant treatment, gender, or treatment by gender effects in elementary school children exposed to the social skills training, problem solving skill training, and control condition on responses to stress, peer relations, behavior problems, and interpersonal-cognitive problem-solving skills. This study suggests the need for further investigation of the relative effectiveness of stress prevention programs for children. Further research is needed to look at multimodel treatment approaches, to consider social and developmental levels of children, and to utilize multiple measures of stress. Future research is also needed to include interventions for the entire school and to add to the limited research literature on gender differences in stress prevention studies.
Subject Area
Academic guidance counseling|Elementary education|Psychology|Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
Imao, Rosalie Ann Keiko, "Stress and coping skills for elementary school children: A comparative study on the relative effectiveness of a social skills training program and a problem-solving skills training program" (1990). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9013610.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9013610