ABSTRACT
The current studies aimed to develop a Psychosocial Skills Scale (PSS) and examine the relationship between psychosocial skills and the negative emotional states of elementary school children. The first study involved four experts in the educational and psychological fields and 745 fourth- to sixth-grade children at nine elementary schools. The second study involved 810 fourth- to sixth-grade children at 15 elementary schools. The scale development process (DeVellis, 2003) was conducted to develop the PSS in the first study. In the second study, the students completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and the valid version of PSS. Exploratory and confirmatory factors, multiple correlations, and Cronbach’s coefficient (Alpha) analysis were used in the first study and Pearson correlation analysis was used in the second study. The PSS with four subscale structures (stress coping, communication, social awareness, and problem-solving skills) was validated as reliable which was indicated by a good fit in construct validity, internal validity, and internal consistency/reliability. These results provide some support for using the scale to measure children’s psychosocial skills in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Furthermore, in the second study, the Pearson correlation analysis suggested that the relationship between negative emotional state and psychosocial skills is fragile and there tended to be no connection between them.
