Associate member of the Social Health Department of the Academy of Medical Sciences
Abstract: (836 Views)
Background: Social skills refer to socially acceptable behaviors that enable a person to interact effectively with others, and avoid socially unacceptable reactions. Social skills developed in childhood often form the basis of success in later stages of life. The purpose of this study is to review studies which have assessed social skills and empowerment developed in childhood and further influence the future life stages. Methods: This narrative review was conducted using the keywords such as; social skills, social empowerment and child education. We searched English and Farsi scientific databases. Out of 512 articles, 86 were extracted. Results: The importance of social skills and empowerment during childhood were categorized in eight dimensions: definitions, various components of social skills, necessity of acquiring these skills, different methods of education, factors influencing child empowerment, role of games in social skills education and methods of evaluating social skills in children. Any deficiency in these skills may lead to many undesirable consequences such as behavioral disorders, poor academic performance, isolation and psychological disorders in adolescence. Various factors are influential in acquiring social skills, the most important of which are the role of age and gender, parents and teachers, and the cultural level of the family. Conclusions: Education, especially in the preschool period, plays a significant role in empowering children with social skills. One of the best training programs in this domain is cognitive behavioral training (CB Training) program.