An Investigation of the Relationship Between Behavior Problems and Social Skills in Secondary School Students

The purpose of this research was to examine whether there is a relationship between behavior problems and social skills of secondary students. This study is a relational survey model that examines the relationship between behavioral problem and social skills in sixth- and seventh-grade students. The study was carried out with 822 sixth- and seventh-grade children from 14 different secondary schools in Istanbul. Revised Problem Behavior Checklist and Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters were employed as data-gathering instruments. The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between the scores of behavior problems and the scores of social skills. The scores of Social Skills, Positive Social Behavior, and Negative Social Behavior could change according to the scores of Conduct Disorder, Socialized Aggression, Attention Problems, Anxiety, Motor Tension, and Psychotic Behavior. Keywords: Adolescent, behavior problem, social skill