Association Between Children’s Social Skills and Developmental Function of Family in Iran

 The family has an important role in shaping the children’s behaviors. Today, along with social change, the family, as a major social institution, is also undergoing some significant changes. Social behaviors are learned in the family, and the behaviors of family members are considered as examples by children.

 This study aimed to determine the relationship between children’s social skills and developmental function of the family in Iran.

 A descriptive-analytical correlation study was conducted in Iran in 2018. The subjects included 309 primary school students in four districts of the city (north, south, east, and west). The data collection tools were a demographic questionnaire, the Developmental Family Functioning Assessment Scale (DFFAQ), and the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY), which were completed by the researcher and children’s mothers. SPSS 16 was used for statistical analysis. The chi-square test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were applied for data analysis. The P values of less than 0.05 were considered significant.

 The results showed that the developmental function of the family was at an intermediate level in 72.2% and a good level in 27.8% of the research units. The social skills of the children were at an intermediate level in 39.5% and a good level in 60.5% of the subjects. There was a significant positive correlation between children’s social skills and developmental family function (r = 0.2, P = 0.03). The result of multiple regression analysis showed that care and regulation were better predictors of social skills in children (β = 0.25, P = 0.001), and 30% of the variance in social skills could be predicted by the function of the family.

 It is suggested that parents, nurses, psychologists, and other health providers design appropriate interventions to promote the developmental functions of the family to improve the social skills of children.