The Effectiveness of Social Skills Training on Happiness and Mental Health of Adolescent Males

Document Type : Empirical Studies

Author

Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The aim was to study the effectiveness of social skills training in increasing adolescent males' happiness and mental health. A semi-experimental, pretest-posttest design with experimental and control groups was used. Among tenth grade male students in Shirvan, 30 adolescent boys with GHQ scores higher than the cut-off point of 23 were selected using random cluster sampling, and then were randomly assigned to either experimental or wait-list control groups. The experimental group received 10 sessions of social skills training. The participants filled Oxford happiness questionnaire and the general health questionnaire (GHQ).
Results of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that social skills training decreased the severity of somatic symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunction, and depression (P < .0001), and increased happiness in experimental group compared to control group (p < 0.02). It seems that social skills training improve adolescent males' mental health and happiness through increased self-confidence in social relationships.

Keywords


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