ABSTRACT
This study realized a characterization of social skills and behavior problems in children and evaluated the predictive power of social skills for behavior problems. The participants were 220 children, from 3rd to 6th grade of Elementary School, and their parents or guardians, who responded to the Assessment of Social Skills (SSRS-BR) system. The sample scores were consistent with the norm for social skills and behavior problems, and according to the parents or guardians, the internalizing were more frequent. Also,Responsibility (in the self-assessment) and Self-control and Civility (in the assessment by parents or guardians) were the social skills with the greatest predictive power. The results were analyzed in terms of their implications for the promotion of social skills as a preventive mechanism for behavioral problems in school children.
Keywords:
social skills; behavior problems; school-age children