Efficacy of Community-Delivered PEERS® for Adolescents: Increases in Social Skills and Decreases in Social Anxiety and Loneliness.
Saved in:
| Title: | Efficacy of Community-Delivered PEERS® for Adolescents: Increases in Social Skills and Decreases in Social Anxiety and Loneliness. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Parenteau, China I. (AUTHOR), Floyd, Jessica (AUTHOR), Ankenman, Katy (AUTHOR), Glavin, Tara (AUTHOR), Charalel, Julia (AUTHOR), Lin, Enjey (AUTHOR), Ence, Whitney (AUTHOR), Kim, Young Shin (AUTHOR), Bishop, Somer (AUTHOR), Zheng, Shuting (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders. Aug2026, Vol. 56 Issue 8, p3303-3310. 8p. |
| Subjects: | Treatment of autism, Intellect, Self-evaluation, Research funding, Secondary analysis, T-test (Statistics), Mental health, Evaluation of human services programs, Questionnaires, Loneliness, Reporting of diseases, Descriptive statistics, Pre-tests & post-tests, Social skills, Asperger's syndrome, Clinics, Psychological tests, Data analysis software, Interpersonal relations, Comparative studies, Psychology of caregivers, Community-based social services, Social skills education, Social anxiety, Socialization, Psychosocial functioning, Caregiver attitudes, Adolescence |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Abstract: | Purpose: PEERS® for Adolescents is an evidence-based social skills training program developed for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is now widely implemented by community providers in clinics and schools. However, majority of past efficacy studies on PEERS® were conducted in controlled research settings, with limited information about its effectiveness when delivered in the community. We sought to examine the effects of PEERS® on social functioning and mental health outcomes when delivered in an outpatient autism specialty clinic. Methods: Clinical data from 45 adolescents with social challenges (age range: 11–18 years old; 31.1% female assigned at birth) were extracted for secondary analyses. Paired t-tests were performed to examine the pre- to post-intervention changes in social and mental health outcomes. Correlations between pre- and post-change scores of outcome measures were examined. Results: Self-reported social skills knowledge, caregiver-reported social skills (measured by the Social Skills Improvement Systems) and the number of get-togethers hosted, increased significantly from pre- to post-intervention. Additionally, caregiver-reported anxiety and self-reported loneliness significantly decreased from pre- to post-intervention. Exploratory analyses showed that increases in caregiver-reported social skills were associated with decreases in self-reported loneliness. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence supporting the efficacy of PEERS® for improving social knowledge and skills of adolescents with social challenges when delivered in the community. The current study also showed the potential benefit of PEERS® for improving adolescent mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Purpose: PEERS® for Adolescents is an evidence-based social skills training program developed for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is now widely implemented by community providers in clinics and schools. However, majority of past efficacy studies on PEERS® were conducted in controlled research settings, with limited information about its effectiveness when delivered in the community. We sought to examine the effects of PEERS® on social functioning and mental health outcomes when delivered in an outpatient autism specialty clinic. Methods: Clinical data from 45 adolescents with social challenges (age range: 11–18 years old; 31.1% female assigned at birth) were extracted for secondary analyses. Paired t-tests were performed to examine the pre- to post-intervention changes in social and mental health outcomes. Correlations between pre- and post-change scores of outcome measures were examined. Results: Self-reported social skills knowledge, caregiver-reported social skills (measured by the Social Skills Improvement Systems) and the number of get-togethers hosted, increased significantly from pre- to post-intervention. Additionally, caregiver-reported anxiety and self-reported loneliness significantly decreased from pre- to post-intervention. Exploratory analyses showed that increases in caregiver-reported social skills were associated with decreases in self-reported loneliness. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence supporting the efficacy of PEERS® for improving social knowledge and skills of adolescents with social challenges when delivered in the community. The current study also showed the potential benefit of PEERS® for improving adolescent mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 01623257 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10803-024-06433-z |
