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Psychopathological Symptoms, Social Skills, and Personality Traits: A Study with Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2014

Maite Garaigordobil Landazabal
Maite Garaigordobil Landazabal*
Affiliation:
Universidad del País Vasco
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Maite Garaigordobil, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del País Vasco, Avenida de Tolosa 70, 20018 San Sebastián (Spain). Phone: 943-015936. Fax: 943-015670. E-mail: maite.garaigordobil@ehu.es
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Abstract

The purpose of this study is two-fold: (a) to study the concomitant relationships between psychopathological symptoms, cooperation, social skills, and other personality traits; and (b) to identify the predictive variables of psychopathological symptoms. The sample consists of 322 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years old. This study uses correlational methodology. In order to assess psychopathological symptoms, cooperation, social skills, and personality traits, the following scales are used: the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 1983), the Cooperativeness Scale (CS; Rigby, Cox, & Black, 1997), the MESSY social skills scale (Matson, Rotatori, & Helsel, 1983), and the TPT Personality Test (Corral, Pamos, Pereña, & Seisdedos, 2002). Pearson coefficients suggest that adolescents with many psychopathological symptoms have low levels of cooperative behaviors and social skills. They also score high in inappropriate assertiveness, impulsiveness, overconfidence, and jealousy-withdrawal and have low levels of emotional stability, sociability, and responsibility. Through multiple regression analyses, the following variables were identified as predictors of psychopathological symptoms: jealousy-withdrawal, low social integration, impulsiveness, and low self-concept. The role played by intervention programs promoting socio-emotional development to prevent psychopathological symptoms and enhance mental health is discussed.

El estudio tiene 2 objetivos: 1) analizar las relaciones de los síntomas psicopatológicos con cooperación, habilidades sociales, y otros rasgos de personalidad; y 2) identificar variables predictoras de síntomas psicopatológicos. La muestra está constituida por 322 adolescentes de 14 a 17 años. El estudio utiliza una metodología correlacional. Los síntomas psicopatológicos, la capacidad de cooperación, las habilidades sociales y diversos rasgos de personalidad fueron medidos con 4 instrumentos de evaluación: el cuestionario SCL-90-R (Derogatis, 1983), la escala de cooperación (EC; Rigby, Cox y Black, 1997, la escala de habilidades sociales MESSY (Matson, Rotatori y Helsel, 1983), y el test de personalidad TPT (Corral, Pamos, Pereña y Seisdedos, 2002). Los coeficientes de Pearson sugieren que los adolescentes con muchos síntomas psicopatológicos tienen pocas conductas de cooperación, pocas habilidades sociales, mucha asertividad inapropiada, impulsividad, sobrevaloración, y celos-soledad, así como baja estabilidad emocional, sociabilidad y responsabilidad. El análisis de regresión múltiple permite identificar 4 variables predictoras de síntomas psicopatológicos: alto nivel de celos-soledad, baja integración social, impulsividad y bajo autoconcepto. La discusión plantea el papel que pueden tener los programas de intervención socio-emocional durante la infancia para prevenir la emergencia de síntomas psicopatológicos y para fomentar la salud mental.

Keywords

psychopathological symptomssocial behaviorspersonalityadolescencesíntomas psicopatológicosconductas socialespersonalidadadolescencia
Type
Articles
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , November 2006 , pp. 182 - 192
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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