Fostering interpersonal problem solving skills in children

Interpersonal problem solving skills - IPSS are important for psychosocial adaptation of people. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a program for the development ofHSPI, applied by teachers. Participants were 203 students from a public elementary school, aged between six and ten years, and their teachers. The children were allocated in two groups - intervention and comparison. The groups were evaluated before and after intervention as their social skills, IPSS, behavior problems and academic performance, by means of the Social Skills Rating Scale, Child Interpersonal Problem Solving Test and Academic Performance Test. Only children in the intervention group showed significant improvements in all parameters investigated. These results highlights the importance of prevention programs in the schools.