The Effectiveness of Social Problem-Solving Skills Training on Peer Conflict and Social Adjustment in Adolescents
Keywords:
Social problem-solving skills, Peer conflict, Social adjustment, Adolescents, Randomized controlled trialAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of social problem-solving skills training on reducing peer conflict and improving social adjustment among adolescents.
Methods and Materials: This study employed a randomized controlled trial design with an intervention group and a control group. The participants consisted of 30 adolescents from Tehran who were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. The intervention group received a structured social problem-solving skills training program delivered in group format over eight weekly sessions, while the control group received no psychological intervention during the study period. Data were collected at three time points: pretest, posttest, and a five-month follow-up. Peer conflict and social adjustment were assessed using standardized self-report instruments with established psychometric properties. Data analysis was conducted using repeated-measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc tests with IBM SPSS Statistics version 27.
Findings: The results of repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of time and a significant time × group interaction for both peer conflict and social adjustment (p < .001). Adolescents in the intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in peer conflict scores and a significant increase in social adjustment scores from pretest to posttest, and these improvements were maintained at the five-month follow-up. In contrast, no significant changes were observed in the control group across the three measurement points. Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons confirmed that the differences between pretest and posttest, as well as between pretest and follow-up, were statistically significant for both outcome variables.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that social problem-solving skills training is an effective intervention for reducing peer conflict and enhancing social adjustment among adolescents, with effects that remain stable over time, supporting its use in school-based and preventive mental health programs.
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