Abstract Introduction: Social competence is the ability to understand and use cognitive and affective information during social interactions. Social competence has been traditionally assessed through self-reported instruments. However, such assessments suffer from several self-rater-related biases. Our aim is to verify the potential association between social competence, measured by an observational coding technique, and constructs associated with psychological well-being (coping strategies, self-esteem, impulsivity, interpersonal reactivity, and clinical symptoms) in adolescents and young adults. We expect that higher social competence will be associated with higher levels of constructs favoring psychological well-being (e.g., self-esteem, interpersonal reactivity), and with lower levels of constructs hindering positive psychological states (e.g. symptoms and impulsivity). Methods: One-hundred-and-forty-three participants (all females; age: 19.40 ± 1.66 years) underwent, in groups of four, 20 minutes of structured observation while solving dilemmas. Observations were coded through the "Group Process Analysis" (GPA) system. Participants then individually filled out these questionnaires: Brief-COPE, Self-Esteem Rating Scale, Multidimensional Self-Esteem Test, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Symptom Checklist-90. Associations between social competence and constructs measured by these questionnaires were investigated by Pearson’s r (all p<0.05). Results: Significant negative correlations were found between social competence and (i) the coping strategy "behavioral disengagement" (r:-0.178; p:0.027), and (ii) symptoms related to phobic anxiety (r:-0.252; p:0.002). Significant positive correlations were found between social competence and (i) impulsivity due to unplanned events (r:0.188; p:0.020), (ii) self-esteem levels (r:0.165; p:0.041), and (iii) imaginative interpersonal reactivity (r: 0.164; p:0.042
Association between social competence measured through systematic observation and constructs related to psychological well-being 1 Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscienze "DiBraiN", University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy 2 Department of Education Science, Psychology and Communication Science, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
Pennacchio TC
;Asselti MG;Russo M;Cuccia F;Rampino A;Bertolino A;Grattagliano I;Antonucci LA
2023-01-01
Abstract
Abstract Introduction: Social competence is the ability to understand and use cognitive and affective information during social interactions. Social competence has been traditionally assessed through self-reported instruments. However, such assessments suffer from several self-rater-related biases. Our aim is to verify the potential association between social competence, measured by an observational coding technique, and constructs associated with psychological well-being (coping strategies, self-esteem, impulsivity, interpersonal reactivity, and clinical symptoms) in adolescents and young adults. We expect that higher social competence will be associated with higher levels of constructs favoring psychological well-being (e.g., self-esteem, interpersonal reactivity), and with lower levels of constructs hindering positive psychological states (e.g. symptoms and impulsivity). Methods: One-hundred-and-forty-three participants (all females; age: 19.40 ± 1.66 years) underwent, in groups of four, 20 minutes of structured observation while solving dilemmas. Observations were coded through the "Group Process Analysis" (GPA) system. Participants then individually filled out these questionnaires: Brief-COPE, Self-Esteem Rating Scale, Multidimensional Self-Esteem Test, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Symptom Checklist-90. Associations between social competence and constructs measured by these questionnaires were investigated by Pearson’s r (all p<0.05). Results: Significant negative correlations were found between social competence and (i) the coping strategy "behavioral disengagement" (r:-0.178; p:0.027), and (ii) symptoms related to phobic anxiety (r:-0.252; p:0.002). Significant positive correlations were found between social competence and (i) impulsivity due to unplanned events (r:0.188; p:0.020), (ii) self-esteem levels (r:0.165; p:0.041), and (iii) imaginative interpersonal reactivity (r: 0.164; p:0.042I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
