Social problem solving training: a follow-up study of cognitive and behavioral effects

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Cognitive Behavioral Interventions

Background:

• Social problem-solving skills are crucial for children's interpersonal development.
• Previous interventions have focused on cognitive aspects of problem-solving.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the long-term cognitive and behavioral effects of social problem-solving training in preschool children.
• To compare the effectiveness of this training against an attention-placebo control group.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-seven preschool children participated in a year-long intervention with a six-month follow-up.
• Intervention involved 46 sessions of social problem-solving training delivered by trained assistants.
• Cognitive skills and behavioral adjustments were assessed using standardized measures and naturalistic observations.

Main Results:

• Children demonstrated significant short-term gains in generating alternative solutions to interpersonal problems post-intervention.
• These cognitive improvements were not sustained at the six-month follow-up.
• No significant behavioral changes were observed at post-test or follow-up, based on teacher and observer ratings.

Conclusions:

• Social problem-solving training shows initial cognitive benefits for children with aberrant behaviors.
• Cognitive interventions alone may not be sufficient to induce lasting behavioral change in young children.
• Integrated approaches combining cognitive and behavioral techniques may be more effective for promoting sustained behavior modification.