ABSTRACT
Generally speaking social skills have been dened as behaviors that aect interpersonal relations [5]. In our work, we conceive of social competence as the ability to use social interactions to satisfy one’s own goals and needs while at the same time considering the needs and goals of others. We dierentiate between two dimensions: (a) self-oriented social skills which are aimed at satisfying one’s own needs (e.g. assertiveness and social participation) and other-oriented social skills which are aimed at satisfying another’s goals and needs (e.g. pro-social, cooperative and non-aggressive behavior) [6]. We assume that these dimensions operate through dierent mechanisms on depressive symptoms. First, we suggest that decits in self-oriented social skills are directly associated with children’s
depressive symptoms because children’s social needs and goals remain unsatised as a consequence of their inability to initiate social contacts, to express their needs, to assert themselves or to set limits to others’ demands. ese children therefore experience non-rewarding social interactions. Second, we propose that the impact of decits in other-oriented social skills on depressive symptoms is mediated through negative peer relations, such as peer victimization.
