The relationship of social skills to psychopathology for individuals with mild and moderate mental retardation

Recent advances in the field of mental retardation have included the development of instruments for assessing psychopathology and social skills in individuals with mental retardation. Researchers have subsequently begun investigating relationships between these two variables in persons with mental retardation. We examined the relationship between psychopathology and social skills in individuals with mild and moderate mental retardation. The investigators used the Assessment for Dual Diagnosis (ADD) to measure psychopathology and the Social Performance Survey Schedule-Revised (SPSS-R) to evaluate social skills in this sample. Significant differences were observed between groups that were high or low in symptoms of psychopathology. Group patterns of social skills, items which significantly differentiate the groups are discussed as well as implications for future research.