The Effectiveness of Training Social Skills on High Risk Behaviors and Communication Skills in Secondary School Students

Background: The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of social skills training on high risk behaviors and communication skills in secondary school students in Kalibar city. Methods: This research is a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design with control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all male high school students in Kalibar city in the academic year of 2018-2019. First, two high schools were randomly selected from the districts of Kalibar (East Azarbaijan province) and from each school, 1 class was randomly selected from each school and then from knowledge 40 Students in the selected schools were randomly divided into two groups: experimental (n = 20) and control (n = 20). High risk behaviors and communication skills scale were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and covariance analysis were used to analyze the data at the significant level P <0.05. Results: The results showed that social skills training focused on high risk behaviors and components (violence, smoking, drug use, alcohol consumption, and opposite sex) and communication skills (components) (P<0.01). Feedback, listening, and verbal skills) affect students and reduce risky behaviors and increase communication skills (P<0.05). Conclusion: Paying attention to social skills in students can play an important role in their high-risk behaviors and communication skills.