A time-limited group intervention to promote social competance in children referred to a child guidance clinic
type: CreativeWork
description: Poor peer relationships and low self-esteem are common attributes of children referred to a Child Guidance Clinic. Peer relationships and self-esteem exert a synergistic effect on one another, both acting as bidirectional sources of stress or support ('protective factors' or 'risk factors'). While positive peer relationships are important for healthy social, cognitive and psychological development, poor relationships in childhood predate adult adjustment problems. In particular, peer relationships and the social bonds that maintain self-esteem play a role in the development, symptomatology, course and outcome of childhood depression. Thus, intervening on the level of peer relationships and self-esteem may be an important aspect of a comprehensive treatment programme for children which considers the impact of the broader social environment on a child's psychological development. Literature suggests that cognitively-based 'social-skills training' or 'social-competence promotion' programmes can significantly improve sociometric status and self-esteem, and that groups are an appropriate modality for working with children. This study described and evaluated an 8 session group intervention which targeted interpersonal relationships through: (i) building self-esteem; (ii) teaching social skills; and (iii) developing interpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills. 2 girls and 5 boys aged 8-9 years with poor peer relationships participated in the intervention. Activities designed to teach circumscribed aspects of relevant social skills formed the basis of the programme, which was applied flexibly in order to meet the changing needs of the group. In order to evaluate outcome of the intervention, qualitative and quantitative data were collected from various sources and used to support clinical assessments. Individual benefits were assessed by evaluating the response of one child against the background of the group as a whole. The measures used to evaluate outcome were: (i) a '…
abstract: Poor peer relationships and low self-esteem are common attributes of children referred to a Child Guidance Clinic. Peer relationships and self-esteem exert a synergistic effect on one another, both acting as bidirectional sources of stress or support ('protective factors' or 'risk factors'). While positive peer relationships are important for healthy social, cognitive and psychological development, poor relationships in childhood predate adult adjustment problems. In particular, peer relationships and the social bonds that maintain self-esteem play a role in the development, symptomatology, course and outcome of childhood depression. Thus, intervening on the level of peer relationships and self-esteem may be an important aspect of a comprehensive treatment programme for children which considers the impact of the broader social environment on a child's psychological development. Literature suggests that cognitively-based 'social-skills training' or 'social-competence promotion' programmes can significantly improve sociometric status and self-esteem, and that groups are an appropriate modality for working with children. This study described and evaluated an 8 session group intervention which targeted interpersonal relationships through: (i) building self-esteem; (ii) teaching social skills; and (iii) developing interpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills. 2 girls and 5 boys aged 8-9 years with poor peer relationships participated in the intervention. Activities designed to teach circumscribed aspects of relevant social skills formed the basis of the programme, which was applied flexibly in order to meet the changing needs of the group. In order to evaluate outcome of the intervention, qualitative and quantitative data were collected from various sources and used to support clinical assessments. Individual benefits were assessed by evaluating the response of one child against the background of the group as a whole. The measures used to evaluate outcome were: (i) a '…
author: Twiggs, Jennifer
language: eng
date published: 1993
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:22Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Psychology

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17409