Liar, liar: internet faking but not frequency of use affects social skills, self-esteem, social anxiety, and aggression.

Misuse of the Internet can affect various aspects of children's social lives. It was predicted that children who misrepresent themselves on the Internet would have less well-developed social skills, lower levels of self-esteem, and higher levels of social anxiety and aggression. The frequency of Internet use was also assessed. Students aged 11-16 years were recruited for the study from classes after obtaining consent. Questionnaires included a query of Internet behaviors, the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters Appropriate Social Skills and Inappropriate Assertiveness subscales, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised. It was found that children who reported the most faking behavior on the Internet (e.g., pretending to be older) had poorer social skills, lower levels of self-esteem, higher levels of social anxiety, and higher levels of aggression. Frequency of use, however, did not affect these factors in the current study.     

Health Consequences of Online Social Capital among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China

With the rapid development of Internet techniques in China, more and more Chinese middle-aged and older adults have begun to use the Internet for their daily social interactions, and the resulting online social capital may affect their health. Using data from the Chinese General Social Survey of 2017 (n = 7733, aged 45–90 years old), this study investigated the influence of online social capital on the health of middle-aged and older adults in China, and the Heckman sample selection model was used to address potential sample selection bias in Internet use. The results show that number of online contacts significantly improved the physical health of middle-aged and older adults, while the level of depression was significantly reduced by online closeness of non-specific relationships, but more online interactions may slightly increase their depression. Furthermore, more online contacts were associated with elevated physical health among male, rural, less-educated and middle-aged adults, while more online closeness of non-specific relationships was associated with less depression in almost all subgroups. Online social capital can improve the health of middle-aged and older adults in China, so we should help increase older adults’ access to the Internet and improve their Internet skills to give full play to the positive health effect of online social capital. However, it should be alert to the negative health consequences caused by excessive Internet use.

     

Internet communication: an activity that appeals to shy and socially phobic people?

Shyness (or social anxiety) and social phobia can be viewed as two distinct conditions, and this study investigates whether they are related to use of the Internet generally, and for communication purposes. 362 participants from two schools, a college and a university in the Teesside area in England were asked to complete Mattick and Clarke's (1998) Social Phobia (SPS) and Social Interaction Anxiety (SIAS) scales and also answer a questionnaire which asked them about their use of the Internet generally and for communication purposes. The findings from these suggested that social anxiety and social phobia are not highly associated with use of the Internet either in general, or for communication purposes, although minor associations with certain aspects of Internet use are discussed.     

Validity and reliability of the Greek version of the Multisource Assessment of Social Competence Scale

The aim of this study was to adapt the Multisource Assessment of Social Competence Scale to the Greek language. The validity and reliability of the scale were examined in three studies with 209, 192, and 147 sixth-grade students, respectively. The subscale structure of the Multisource Assessment of Social Competence Scale was supported through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The hypothesized two main dimensions, Prosocial and Antisocial behavior, were divided into two factors, Cooperating skills and Empathy for Prosocial behavior and Quick-temperedness and Disruptiveness for Antisocial behavior. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were high. Additionally, correlations between each factor and social desirability scores were nonsignificant. The resultant model of the present study is a behavior rating scale that should be considered a reliable choice for assessing Greek middle school students' social skills.     

Balancing participation and risks in children's Internet use: the role of internet literacy and parental mediation

This study analyzed the survey data from 566 Korean children between the ages of 10 and 15 to examine the role of Internet literacy and parental mediation in solving the dilemma of children's Internet use. According to the findings, children's online participation was associated with increased exposure to online risks. The association was moderated by Internet skills and parental restrictive mediation; that is, for children with a high level of Internet skills and for children who received more restrictive mediation, the positive association between online participation and online risks weakened, but was still significant. The limited roles of Internet skills and parental restrictive mediation in children's Internet use were discussed in the context of media education.     

Reliability of the social skills rating system in a group of Iranian children

The purpose of this study was to investigate reliability of the Social Skills Rating Systems of Gresham and Elliott for use in Iran. The sample consisted of 304 students aged 6 to 12 years, selected from the elementary schools in Shiraz, Iran. Parents' and teachers' ratings of social skills and behavioural problems and self-rating of social skills were applied in this study. Pearson correlations between parents' and teachers' ratings were low to moderate. Correlations between social skills subdomains and behavioural problems subdomains were low to high. Cronbach coefficients alpha were satisfactory for the two subdomains.     

Internet use by the socially fearful: addiction or therapy?

The Internet has often been argued to have adverse psychological consequences, such as depression or anxiety symptoms, among "over-users." The present study offers an alternative understanding, suggesting the Internet may be used as a forum for expanding social networks and consequently enhancing the chance of meaningful relationships, self-confidence, social abilities, and social support. An online sample of 188 people was recruited over the Internet, while paper and pencil tests were administered to an offline sample group of 27 undergraduate university students, who were regular Internet users. Subjects completed the Zung Depression Scale (ZDS), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire?Revised Short Scale (EPQ-R Short), Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) scale, Internet Use Questionnaire (IUQ), and an Internet Effects Questionnaire (IEQ). Results suggested that there was no relationship between time spent online and depression, anxiety, or social fearfulness. Those who primarily used the Internet for online chat believed that the Internet is psychologically beneficial to them, but also believed that frequent Internet users are lonely and that the Internet can be addictive. It is argued that "chat" users who are socially fearful may be using the Internet as a form of low-risk social approach and an opportunity to rehearse social behavior and communication skills, which, may help them improve interaction with offline, face-to-face, social environments.     

Análisis factorial confirmatorio de la Escala de habilidades sociales en universitarios chilenos

This paper presents a psychometric study performing a confirmatory factor analysis of Gismero's Social Skills Scale. A background review is conducted on evaluation tools generally used for social skills, and the general characteristics of the scale are presented for the tool studied. A review is also conducted on psychometric properties of this tool. The sample consisted of 1206 college students at the Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using a polychoric correlation matrix, and the structure proposed by Gismero was analyzed. Reliability assessment procedures, such as internal consistency (Ordinal Alpha) and discriminant validity analysis, were also conducted using AF5 factors. The results show good internal reliability of the tool, suitability of the model to the data, and good discriminant validity. In conclusion, the Gismero's Social Skills Scale is considered as a suitable tool for assessing social skills in Chilean university students. A slight modification of the model structure in the second order factor level is proposed.     

The Individual or the Group: A Multilevel Analysis of Cyberbullying in School Classes

In this study, we focus on the relevance of social influence to explain cyberbullying experiences among German high school students. Social influence is discussed in the context of computer‐mediated communication. To obtain individual and sociostructural data, we conducted a survey study among German high school students (N = 4,282). Using multilevel modeling, we found that the attributes of the school class only contributed to the risk of being involved in cyberbullying to a small extent. Still, procyberbullying norms in class did enhance the risk of perpetration and victimization for students, even more so than their individual beliefs. Previous experiences with bullying and intensive, unrestricted use of the Internet were the strongest individual predictors of cyberbullying involvement.     

School-Based Intervention for Social Skills in Children from Divorced Families

Divorce is an increasingly prevalent occurrence in society that has the potential to result in many adverse short- and long-term consequences for children and their parents. Social skills, such as those with peers, are one of the problems that may emerge for children of divorce. Despite this growing problem, there is a paucity of research available to effectively address the social skills needed to build and maintain positive peer interactions and subsequent relationships in students whose parents are no longer married. It was hypothesized that a social skills training program would be effective in remediating social skill deficits related to building relationships with peers in students from divorced families. The purpose of this study was to employ COPE, a school-based social skills program, to examine the effect on social skills in elementary students whose parents are divorced. Results of the social skills intervention indicated that the treatment was effective for most participants, but generalization of the COPE program had mixed results.     

大学新生网络使用时间与网络成瘾的关系：有中介的调节模型

通过整群取样的方法选取北京市某所高校2250名大一新生为测查对象, 采用问卷方式探讨了大学新生网络使用时间、网络社交使用占网络使用总时间的比重、网络使用的背景性渴求以及网络成瘾程度之间的关系。基于网络使用满足的相关理论以及渴求的条件反射理论, 本研究构建了一个有中介的调节模型, 即网络社交使用比重在网络使用时间与网络成瘾之间起调节作用, 而且这一调节作用通过网络使用的背景性渴求这一中介变量得以实现。结果显示：(1)大学新生每周上网时间为13.58 ± 8.94小时, 网络社交使用占全部上网时间的比重为27.18 ± 18.15%; (2)网络使用时间、网络社交使用比重、网络使用背景性渴求与网络成瘾的五个维度及总分呈显著正相关; (3)网络使用时间以及网络社交使用比重均能够直接正向预测网络成瘾, 同时网络社交比重在网络使用时间预测网络成瘾这一关系中起调节作用, 即相比较少使用网络社交的被试, 较多使用网络社交的群体表现出更高的网络成瘾程度, 且网络使用时间对网络成瘾程度的预测作用相对较低; 而且网络社交比重的调节作用部分通过网络使用的背景性渴求这一中介变量实现。     

Internet Use in Young Adult Males: from the Perspective of Pursuing Well-Being

This study explored notable and measurable differences between intense users and less intense internet users in college students as they pursue well-being in the context of positive psychology. A total of 1024 male students from four general universities in China, served as study participants; data were collected via Internet Addiction Test, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Online Social Support Scale, and Subjective Well-Being Scale. Results showed that compared to less intense internet users, intense users perceive limited real-life social support but considerable online social support. For intense users, online social support influences their subjective well-being partially through the intervening variable of self-esteem; for the less intense internet users, online social support has an insignificant predictive effect on self-esteem or well-being.     

Evaluation of a School-Based Social Skills Program for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is prevalent among school-aged children. An associated feature of the disorder is a deficit in social functioning, which can be detrimental in terms of long-term outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial to identify evidence-based interventions which can improve the social skills of children with ADHD. The current study was an evaluation of a school-based social skills training program, called Working Together: Building Children's Social Skills Through Folk Literature. The modified version of the program with generalization enhancers was delivered in three schools to 16 children over a 10-week period. Results indicated that this program was effective for improving social skills in children with ADHD, particularly for children with poor pragmatic language skills.     

Using Motor-Based Role-Play to Enhance Social Skills in a Nonverbal Adolescent With High Functioning Autism: A Case Report

In this study the authors collected pilot data about the effect of a motor-based role-play intervention on the social skills of a nonverbal adolescent with high functioning autism. Single subject design was used to tally frequency of targeted social skills at baseline, intervention, and 3-month probe. Intervention was delivered once per week in 1-hour sessions over 4 weeks. The Evaluation of Social Skills was also used at baseline and 3-month probe to assess changes in social skill quality. Although the participant's verbal use did not change, the quality and frequency of nonverbal social skill use increased significantly from baseline to 3-month probe (p = .038, t = ?3.556).     

Spanish adaptation of a perceived Social Support Scale in sportspeople

Social support is a variable that has a great influence in the sport context. In fact, this variable not only affects the athlete's performance but it has also shown to be related to psychological disorders such as Burnout Syndrome. The aim of this paper was to illustrate the Spanish adaptation of a social support scale in the sport context. The normative group who took part in the final version of the research was composed of 397 athletes aged between 13 and 64 years old (mean= 19.23 and standard deviation= 6.67). The scale shows: adequate factorial and construct validity, acceptable fit indexes (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin= 0.785, Root Mean Square Residual= 0.078; Kelly's criterion= 0.075), a negative correlation with the dimensions of burnout and no relationship with respect to self-esteem. In addition, it also shows high reliability (a= 0.88). Furthermore, statistically significant differences have been found in relation to genders - where women require greater social support. In contrast, males tend to display a lower level of social support with team players and international athletes. Moreover, differential item functioning (DIF) was carried out to explore sex bias, however, none of the items exhibit DIF problems.     

消极家庭表征与青少年网络人际关系成瘾：归属感需求和社交敏感的中介作用

本研究基于情绪不安全感理论,采用问卷法对湖北省两个城市的两所中学共4476名学生进行调查,探究了消极家庭表征和青少年网络人际关系成瘾的关系,并进一步考察了归属感需求和社交敏感的链式中介作用。结果显示:(1)青少年消极家庭表征能显著正向预测其网络人际关系成瘾;(2)归属感需求和社交敏感在消极家庭表征与网络人际关系成瘾的关系中均起显著的中介作用;(3)归属感需求和社交敏感在消极家庭表征和网络人际关系成瘾的关系中起链式中介作用。本研究为开发针对性的青少年网络人际关系成瘾的预防和干预方案提供了理论基础。     

Psychologie sociale de la santé et compétences psychosociales en éducation thérapeutique : des enjeux pour la recherche et pour la pratique

The article presents the theoretical-methodological contributions of Social Health Psychology on the evaluation and reinforcement of psychosocial skills in the context of therapeutic patient education. This is illustrated by a synthesis of the results of several empirical researches in the field of pediatric diabetes. This synthesis shows that psychosocial skills are part of a system of actions and interpretations shaped by therapeutic and relational issues as well as social symbolism. Several practical implications emerge from these results for more effective work on the psychosocial skills of patients. The article concludes with the interest of a “psychosocial clinic” which draws on the viewpoint of Social Health Psychology to evaluate, analyze and intervene on the psychosocial determinants of health behaviours.     

Social Network Sites,Individual Social Capital and Happiness

Can online social contacts replace the importance of real-life social connections in our pursuit of happiness? With the growing use of social network sites (SNSs), attention has been increasingly drawn to this topic. Our study empirically examines the effect of SNS use on happiness for different subgroups of young adults. More specifically, we examine whether the effect of SNSs on happiness is moderated by individual social capital, as measured in terms of frequency of social contacts and feelings of loneliness. Using Dutch data from the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences panel, we provide robust empirical evidence that there is, on average, no relationship between the amount of time spent on SNSs and happiness. However, we find a negative association between the numbers of hours spent on SNS and happiness for SNS users who feel socially disconnected and lonely. The results hold when we control for socio-demographic characteristics, trust, hours spent on other Internet sites and household income. Hence, SNSs are not a substitute for real-life social connections and, at most, complement them.     

Model of Social Competence in an Early Childhood Environment

Maintaining relationships and interacting socially are essential aspects of children's occupational performance. A Model of Social Competence in an Early Childhood environment has been formulated to guide the assessment of and intervention for young children with issues in social skills. This article aims to (1) present the constructs that contribute to social competence for young children, (2) describe the interrelated contextual, foundation and environmental influences on social competence using the Model of Social Competence in an Early Childhood environment as a means of systematically examining these factors, and (3) discuss future directions for early intervention for children with social competence concerns. Cultural considerations will be discussed in relation to the Singaporean early childhood context.     

被动性社交网站使用与错失焦虑症：压力知觉的中介与乐观的调节

本研究为考察被动性社交网站使用对移动社交媒体环境下大学生错失焦虑症的预测,以及压力知觉的中介作用、乐观的调节作用与性别差异,选取443名大学生进行问卷调查。结果表明：（1）被动性社交网站使用通过直接预测与压力知觉的中介作效应两种方式作用于错失焦虑症;（2）乐观调节中介模型的直接路径,在低乐观水平下,被动性社交网站使用对错失焦虑症的预测作用显著;在高乐观水平下,该预测作用不显著;（3）中介效应与调节效应存在性别差异：在女生群体中,压力知觉的中介效应大于男生群体;而乐观的调节效应仅存在于男生群体中。