Social Skills and Behavior Problems of Children under Institutional Care

Abstract This study conducted a characterization of the repertoire of social skills and behavioral problems of children in institutional care, which was compared to the Brazilian normative average. Participants included 36 children, of both genders, from 6 to 12 years old, and 19 caregivers as evaluators of the children’s repertoire, using the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). The results showed that: (a) the sample of children presented scores significantly below the Brazilian average in social skills, with more than half of them classified as having deficient repertoire and lower means in social skills, both in self-assessment and in the caregiver’s evaluation; (b) the sample presented a highly compromised repertoire in behavioral problems, and the externalizing type was the most common. It discusses the importance and urgency of interventions aimed at promoting the social skills of institutionalized children, in order to prevent and overcome problems in their development.