Abstract

DOMENICO-GRAZZIOTIN, Jucelaine Bier Di  and  SCORTEGAGNA, Silvana Alba. Evaluation of social skills in older adults and adults. Temas psicol. [online]. 2016, vol.24, n.2, pp. 695-705. ISSN 1413-389X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.9788/TP2016.2-16Pt.

Social competence comprises one of the indispensable conditions for mental health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Social Skills (SS) repertoire in older adults and adults to verify whether older adults, especially those of the older age groups, present a less developed SS repertoire. Participants of this study were 135 healthy subjects aged 18 to 83 years, divided into two groups: one group (Older Adults Group [OAG]) consisting of 61 older adults, and the other group (Adults Group [AG]) consisting of 74 adults. The instruments used were a sociodemographic and health characterization questionnaire, the Social Skills Inventory-Del Prette (SSI) for adults and the SSI adapted for older adults. There were significant and negative correlations between the age of the participants and the overall SS score GSSI (Overall Score Social Skills Inventory; r=.20), in the positive affect F2 (r=.249), in the conversation and social confidence F3 (r=.259) and in self-control of aggressiveness F5 (r=.490) factors. The OAG presented more restricted social interactions and a less developed SS repertoire, compared to the AG. The development of public policies that valorize SS to help sustain the well-being of older adults is a necessity in the Brazilian socioeconomic and cultural context.

Keywords : Assessment psychological; elderly; interpersonal relationship; cultura.

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