Resumo

CARNEIRO, Rachel Shimba. The relationship between social skills and quality of life among the ederly. Rev. bras.ter. cogn. [online]. 2006, vol.2, n.1, pp. 45-54. ISSN 1808-5687.

Current studies suggest that the capacity to interact socially is an essential skill for the development of a better quality of life. The national literature in this area that could provide a greater understanding of this relationship is, however, still scarce. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the social skills and the quality of life of 30 elderly from UnATI/UERJ, 30 elderly of familiar context and 15 elderly that live in asylums and the relationship between social skills and the quality of life. In this study, the Social Skills Inventory and the WHOQOL-BREF were applied and revealed that the elderly that live in asylums display a reduced repertoire of social skills and a worse quality of life, when compared to the elderly of the UnATI/UERJ or the elderly that live with their families. Significant correlations between social skill and quality of life scores (r=0,456, n=71, p=0,000) were identified. These findings contribute to the research literature and provide support for the implementation of specific Programs of Social Skills Training for the elderly, which could enhance their ability to develop a better quality of life.

Palavras-chave : Social skills; Quality of life; Elderly.