Extending Evidence-Based Social Skills Training to Young Children

描述（由申请人提供）：国家调查数据表明，幼儿问题行为的患病率在10- 25%之间（Webster-Stratton和哈蒙德，1997）。随着孩子进入学前班，开始在家庭之外的社交场合中游刃有余，问题行为会干扰社会发展，使孩子面临有问题的同伴关系和延迟的社会技能的风险。如果没有干预，社会和行为问题往往会持续存在，甚至随着时间的推移而升级，反过来，对儿童精神病理学的发展产生巨大影响。数十年的研究表明，社交和行为缺陷会对适应产生负面影响，并使儿童日后出现无数负面后果的风险增加，包括抑郁症、药物滥用和犯罪（参见帕克、鲁宾、普莱斯和德罗西耶，1995年）。相反，积极的社会关系是一个保护因素，促进更积极的发展成果。预防和治疗研究支持使用社会技能训练（SST）来改善儿童的同伴关系，社会行为和情绪调节（参见Greenberg，Domitrovich和Bumbarger，2001年）。此外，在有问题的社会行为成为慢性和顽固性之前对其进行干预，已被反复宣布为防止更严重的适应不良发展的关键（Greenberg等人;帕克等人）。早期干预对于预防严重的社会技能缺陷和根深蒂固的消极同伴互动模式至关重要（Coie，1990）。因此，该第二阶段项目的目标是继续研究和开发现有的基于证据的小组SST计划的版本，以便使其适用于年幼的儿童。该项目将调整3-C ISD针对6-12岁儿童的SST方案SSGRIN（社会技能小组干预），为幼儿（4-6岁）创建一个新的干预措施，名为“SSGRIN-EC”（SSGRIN for Early Childhood）。SSGRIN-EC将在SSGRIN的基础上，以及第一阶段的研究结果，提供一个独特的早期干预资源，代表了一个显着的进步，目前可用于SST与幼儿。SSGRIN-EC将为心理健康专业人员提供创新的干预计划，以提高幼儿的情感能力和社会关系。SSGRIN-EC将提供多媒体资源，包括视频和互动网络资源，以及专门旨在提高社交技能能力的技能课程。它还提供了一种独特的手段，将干预环境与家庭努力联系起来，以促进社会和情感功能。第一阶段的结果为继续发展提供了实质性支持，并为指导发展方向提供了重要的建设性反馈。拟议的第二阶段项目将利用第一阶段的结果来修订、修改和扩展SSGRIN-EC的组成部分，以最大限度地提高质量和有效性。一旦完成，将对干预措施的有效性进行科学评估，以掌握社交技能概念，并在社交，情感和行为功能方面产生积极变化。项目叙述：有问题的同伴关系，特别是长期存在的同伴关系，会对儿童的心理健康以及他们的学业、行为和情感功能产生巨大影响。如果没有干预，社会和行为问题往往会持续存在，并随着时间的推移而升级，这反过来又对精神病理学的发展产生了巨大的影响。由于社会情感缺陷而导致的精神障碍的发展是一个公共卫生问题，美国每年的经济，精神疾病的间接成本估计为790亿美元。对即使效果不大的社交技能培训项目的成本效益分析估计，每位参与者也可节省超过95，000美元，每投资1美元可获得超过8美元的回报。总统的心理健康新自由委员会（2003年）特别呼吁识别和早期治疗有心理健康需求的儿童，以防止潜在的共存疾病的发生，并打破可能导致学业失败的循环和其他问题

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): National survey data suggest the prevalence of problem behaviors in young children is between 10-25 percent (Webster-Stratton and Hammond, 1997). As children enter preschool and begin to navigate social situations outside the home, problem behaviors interfere with social development, placing children at risk for problematic peer relations and delayed social skills. Without intervention, social and behavioral problems tend to persist and even escalate over time and, in turn, have a tremendous impact on the development of child psychopathology. Decades of research indicate social and behavioral deficits negatively affect adjustment and place children at increased risk for a myriad of later negative outcomes including depression, substance abuse, and delinquency (see Parker, Rubin, Price and DeRosier, 1995, for review). In contrast, positive social relationships serve as a protective factor promoting more positive developmental outcomes. Prevention and treatment research supports the use of social skills training (SST) for improving children's peer relations, social behavior, and emotional adjustment (see Greenberg, Domitrovich, and Bumbarger, 2001, for review). In addition, intervening with problematic social behaviors before they become chronic and intractable has been repeatedly heralded as a key to preventing the development of more serious maladjustment (Greenberg, et al.; Parker et al.). Early intervention is critical in the prevention of severe social skill deficits and entrenched negative peer interaction patterns (Coie, 1990). The goal of this Phase II project is therefore to continue the research and development of a version of an existing evidence-based small group SST program in order to make it applicable for younger children. This project will adapt 3-C ISD's SST program for 6-12 year old children, SSGRIN (Social Skills Group Intervention), to create a new intervention for young children (ages 4-6 years) titled "SSGRIN-EC" (SSGRIN for Early Childhood). SSGRIN-EC will build on SSGRIN's foundation, as well as Phase I findings, to offer a unique early intervention resource that represents a significant advancement over what is currently available for SST with young children. SSGRIN-EC will provide mental health professionals with an innovative intervention program to enhance the emotional competencies and social relations of young children. SSGRIN-EC will offer multi-media resources, including video and interactive web resources, and a skill based curriculum specifically aimed at enhancing social skills competencies. It also provides a unique means of bridging intervention settings with home efforts to promote social and emotional functioning. The Phase I results provide substantial support for continued development, as well as essential constructive feedback to inform the direction of that development. The proposed Phase II project will utilize the Phase I findings to revise, modify, and extend the SSGRIN-EC components in order to maximize quality and effectiveness. Once finalized, a scientific evaluation of the efficacy of the intervention for mastery of social skills concepts and positive changes in social, emotional, and behavioral functioning will be conducted. PROJECT NARRATIVE: Problematic peer relations, particularly when chronic, can have a tremendous impact on children's mental health as well as their academic, behavioral, and emotional functioning. Without intervention, social and behavioral problems tend to persist and escalate over time which, in turn, has a tremendous impact on the development of psychopathology. Development of psychiatric disorders due to socio-emotional deficits is a public health concern with annual US economic, indirect cost of mental illnesses estimated at $79 billion. Cost-effectiveness analyses of social skills training programs with even modest effect sizes estimated a monetary savings of more than $95,000 per participant and more than $8 return on every dollar invested. The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (2003) specifically calls for the identification and early treatment of children who experience mental health needs in order to prevent the potential onset of co-occurring disorders and break a cycle that otherwise can lead to school failure and other problems