The Effectiveness of Theory-of-Mind Training on Social Skills of Students with Oppositional Defiance Disorder

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of theory of mind training on social skills of students with oppositional defiant disorder.

The present research was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and control group. Thirty students with oppositional defiant disorder were chosen through available sampling from among those referred to the cultural center of the city of Kermanshah in 2016, and  randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The tools used included the Gresham & Elliott and Elliott Social skills Grading Scale and the Sakuma Oppositional Defiance Disorder List. The experimental training group received theory-of-mind in 10 one-hour sessions. Data analysis was performed using covariance analysis.

In the post-test phase, the mean of social skills increased significantly in the experimental group, compared to the control group (P <0.01).

Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that teaching the theory-of-mind is effective on the social skills of students with oppositional defiance disorder.