Social Problem Solving (social + problem_solving)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The Relation between Observational Measures of Social Problem Solving and Familial Antisocial Behavior: Genetic and Environmental Influences

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 4 2001
Erica L. Spotts
Deficits in social problem-solving skills are often associated with antisocial behavior, particularly in children's extrafamilial relationships. The current study was designed to examine this association in several new ways: the association was examined at two times in an adolescent sample within the context of the family; genetic models were used to estimate genetic and environmental effects on observational measures of problem solving and antisocial behavior and on the association between the two. The analyses were conducted as part of the Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development project, consisting of 720 families at Time 1 (mean adolescent age: 14.5 years) and 440 families at Time 2 (mean adolescent age: 16.1 years). Genetic influence was found for antisocial behavior, but not for problem solving. The findings of shared environmental influences on these measures and their association are unusual in the behavioral genetic literature and are important in that respect. [source]


Efficient assessment of social problem-solving abilities in medical and rehabilitation settings: a rasch analysis of the social problem-solving inventory-revised

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2009
Laura E. Dreer
Abstract The Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised Scale (SPSI-R) has been shown to be a reliable and valid self-report measure of social problem-solving abilities. In busy medical and rehabilitation settings, a brief and efficient screening version with psychometric properties similar to the SPSI-R would have numerous benefits including decreased patient and caregiver assessment burden and administration/scoring time. Thus, the aim of the current study was to identify items from the SPSI-R that would provide for a more efficient assessment of global social problem-solving abilities. This study consisted of three independent samples: 121 persons in low-vision rehabilitation (M age=71 years old, SD=15.53), 301 persons living with diabetes mellitus (M age=58, and SD=14.85), and 131 family caregivers of persons with severe disabilities (M age=56 years old, SD=12.15). All persons completed a version of the SPSI-R, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Using Rasch scaling of the SPSI-R short-form, we identified a subset of 10 items that reflected the five-component model of social problem solving. The 10 items were separately validated on the sample of persons living with diabetes mellitus and the sample of family caregivers of persons with severe disabilities. Results indicate that the efficient 10-item version, analyzed separately for all three samples, demonstrated good reliability and validity characteristics similar to the established SPSI-R short form. The 10-item version of the SPSI-R represents a brief, effective way in which clinicians and researchers in busy health care settings can quickly assess global problem-solving abilities and identify those persons at-risk for complicated adjustment. Implications for the assessment of social problem-solving abilities are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 65: 1,15, 2009. [source]


The relationship between social problem-solving and bullying behaviour among male and female adult prisoners

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 4 2001
*Article first published online: 18 JUL 200, Jane L. Ireland
Abstract The association between social problem solving and bullying behaviour among adult male and female prisoners is presented. A total of 210 male and 196 female prisoners were categorised into four groups: pure bullies, pure victims, bully/victims, and those not involved in bullying or victimisation. Prisoners completed a questionnaire that presented them with different bullying scenarios and were asked to suggest ways of dealing with each. Female bully/victims produced significantly more solutions in response to theft-related bullying than male bully/victims. There were no further significant group or gender differences in the number of solutions generated. The bully group favoured aggressive responses for all scenarios. Males reported more aggressive responses than females. The results are discussed with reference to the environment in which the social problem solving is taking place and highlights the importance of distinguishing between the different groups involved in bullying. Aggr. Behav. 27:297,312, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


New directions in evaluating social problem solving in childhood: Early precursors and links to adolescent social competence

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 123 2009
Susan H. Landry
A major objective of this chapter is to present a novel, ecologically sensitive social problem-solving task for school-aged children that captures the complexity of social and cognitive demands placed on children in naturalistic situations. Competence on this task correlates with a range of skills including executive functions, verbal reasoning, and attention. Children able to successfully carry out this task in middle school were more competent in early adolescence in collaborating in joint problem-solving tasks with peers and solving conflicts with parents. [source]


Does social problem solving mediate the relationship between personality traits and personality disorders?

PERSONALITY AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2010
An exploratory study with a sample of male prisoners
Background Social problem solving therapy is one helpful approach to treating people with personality disorders (PD). Consequently, it is worthwhile to develop a greater understanding of the role of social problem solving in PD. One hypothesis is that social problem solving mediates the relationship between personality dimensions and personality disorder. This premise was explored in a sample of male prisoners, a population known to have a high prevalence of PD. Method Sixty-eight men completed the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE), NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the Social Problem-Solving Inventory,Revised: Short Version (SPSI-R:S). The data were explored for direct and indirect mediational effects of social problem solving variables in the personality dimension,PD relationship, using methods appropriate for small samples and multiple mediators. Results A number of relationships between personality dimensions, social problem solving, and personality disorder traits were identified, but only for paranoid, schizotypal, borderline, narcissistic, and avoidant PDs. Discussion These findings support the hypothesis that social problem solving mediates between personality dimensions and some PDs. Further research is necessary to verify these relationships. However, these findings begin to clarify the mechanisms by which personality dimensions relate to PDs. This knowledge has potential to contribute to the development of more effective interventions for people with particular personality dimensions and specific personality disorders. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]