The Effectiveness of Group Story- Based Social Skills Training on Children Externalizing Behavior Problems

the purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of group story–based social skills training on children externalizing behavior problems. Two hundreds and sixty seven mothers completed the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001/2005). Forty eight students with high scores on the CBCL were selected and randomly assigned to either an experimental group (N = 24) or a control group (N = 24). Experimental group received eight story-based social skills training sessions for four weeks. Control group did not receive any training in this period. The data were analyzed using multiple covariance analyses. In contrast to the control group, experimental group demonstrated significant reduction in aggressive and rulebreaking behaviors by the end of the course. The findings of this study may be of practical importance for prevention and treatment of‎children’s‎externalizing behavior problems in clinical settings and schools.