Patients and Social Skills Groups: Do they Lack Social Skills?

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Abstract
Twenty-eight young adult out-patients with social interaction difficulties were assessed in an attempt to measure the three variables of social performance, social anxiety and self-esteem. A non-clinical comparison group comprising 32 subjects from a university subject panel were assessed on the same measures. There were significant differences in the patient and non-clinical group on anxiety and esteem, however, some patients scored well within the range of the non-clinical group and had adequate social performance. The patient group was characterized by high social anxiety which was more often related to low self-esteem than adequacy of social performance. We concluded that interaction difficulties are multiply determined and social performance, social anxiety and self-esteem are potentially independent variables. The implications of this for therapy were discussed.