An assessment of social skills deficiencies in depression

Nuancing the role of social skills- a longitudinal study of early maternal psychological distress and adolescent depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND

Social skills might play an important role for the relationship between maternal psychological distress and subsequent development of depressive symptoms. The majority perspective is that social skills is adaptive and protective, but there is a need to also highlight the potential maladaptive effect of social skills in some settings or for some sub groups. The current study examined the longitudinal interplay between maternal-reported psychological distress in early childhood (age 1.5), and offspring reports on social skills and depressive symptoms in early (age 12.5) and middle adolescence (age 14.5).

METHODS

We used data from the Tracking Opportunities and Problems Study (TOPP), a community-based longitudinal study following Norwegian families to examine direct links and interactions between early maternal distress (measured with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist) and early adolescent offspring social skills (measured with the Social Skills Rating System) and middle adolescent depressive symptoms (measured with the Moods and Feelings Questionnaire) in 370 families (in total 740 mothers and adolescents).

RESULTS

Exposure to childhood maternal distress predicted offspring depressive symptoms in middle adolescence. Higher social skills in early adolescence predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms for girls, but not for boys, in middle adolescence. An interaction effect was found in which adolescents exposed to early maternal distress who reported high social skills in early adolescence had the highest level of depressive symptoms in middle adolescence.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the nuances in the role of social skills for adolescent depressive symptoms - having the potential to be both adaptive as well as maladaptive for some subgroups (those experiencing maternal psychological distress). This has important implications for social skill programs.

Factor structure of the Japanese Interpersonal Competence Scale

AIM

Assessing social competence is important for clinical and preventive interventions of depression. The aim of the present paper was to examine the factor structure of the Japanese Interpersonal Competence Scale (JICS).

METHODS

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the survey responses of 730 participants. Simultaneous multigroup analyses were conducted to confirm factor stability across psychological health status and sex differences.

RESULTS

Two factors, which represent Perceptive Ability and Self-Restraint, were confirmed to show a moderate correlation. Perceptive Ability involves a more cognitive aspect of social competence, while Self-Restraint involves a more behavioral aspect, both of which are considered to reflect the emotion-based relating style specific to the Japanese people: indulgent dependence (amae) and harmony (wa). In addition, Self-Restraint may be linked to social functioning. Both constructs may confound a respondent's perceived confidence.

CONCLUSION

Despite its shortcomings, the JICS is a unique measure of social competence in the Japanese cultural context.

Intellectual Ability, Self-perceived Social Competence, and Depressive Symptomatology in Children with High-functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Although social competence deficits in children with high-functioning autistic spectrum disorders (HFASD) are well documented, there is little research investigating self-perceptions of social limitations. This study replicated research showing a negative association between self-perceived social competence and intellectual ability and investigated associations between self-perceived social competence and depressive symptomatology. Participants were 22 children with HFASD, aged 7-13 years with intelligence quotient (IQ) scores of 82-141. Parent- (N = 18) and teacher- (N = 17) rated social competence was lower for children with HFASD compared with a normative sample. Higher age and IQ predicted lower levels of self-perceived social competence, and low self-perceived social competence predicted higher levels of depressive symptomatology. Almost a third of children rated themselves for depression; parent ratings suggested even higher levels.

Social skills deficits associated with depression

This article reviews the empirical evidence of impaired social skills associated with depression. Conceptualizations of social skills are examined followed by evidence from self-report, observer-rating, and behavioral assessments of depressed people's social skills. Evidence of social skills deficits in children with depression and in people with bipolar disorder is also examined. The effectiveness of social skills training as a treatment of depression is evaluated. Three different theoretical relationships between disrupted social skills and depression are described and evaluated, including poor social skills as a cause of depression, depression as a cause of poor social skills, and poor social skills as a vulnerability factor in the development of depression. Currently, there is some evidence to support each of these conceptualizations, as the relationship between poor social skills and depression can take a variety of forms.

[Correlation between symptoms and social adjustment in patients suffering from schizophrenia or major affective disorder]

With a view to examining the appropriateness of relying solely on pharmacotherapy rather than on a program of multimodal therapy, the goal of this study is to test the hypothesis that there is little relationship between psychotic and affective symptoms on the one hand, and life skills and social functioning on the other. Eighty-four male subjects presenting a diagnosis of schizophrenia, mania or severe depression were therefore recruited in hospitals in the Montreal region. The relationships previously identified were studied, while factors likely to affect them, such as the chronicity of the disorder, the level of intellectual functioning, and the presence of additional symptoms, were controlled as necessary. The results suggest poorer social functioning among the schizophrenics having a high level of negative symptoms. In addition, the relationship between negative symptoms and IQ suggests that the intellectual functioning of these individuals can potentially affect the acquisition of skills required for adequate social functioning. Among subjects with a major affective disorder, the results reveal poor social functioning even during quasi-asymptomatic periods. These results suggest that patients suffering from schizophrenia or a major affective disorder require interventions aimed at increasing their level of psychosocial functioning.

Effects of communication content on speech behavior of depressives

Depressed patients were interviewed at two different severity levels in the course of their illness about both problematic and neutral topics, and their speech behavior was analyzed in terms of speech activity and silences. Lowered speech activity and increased silences occurred at higher severity levels and also during problematic communication content, suggesting the mediation of cognitive factors as postulated by Beck's cognitive model of depression.