A training package for teaching effective dating skills to the mentally disabled

Abstract

A skills training package designed to teach effective dating skills to mentally disabled patients was investigated. Nine male, mentally disabled outpatients were randomly assigned to either a dating skills treatment group or an attention placebojwaiting list control group. The training package consisted of presentation of information, prompting, modeling, behavioral rehearsal, Live and taped feedback, and homework assignments. Skills taught were ways of enhancing physical attractiveness, appropriate partner selection, and social skills. Dependent measures used to measure training efficacy were an anxiety measure, three measures of heterosexual interaction at a party, ratings of physical attractiveness, an appropriate partner choice measure, a behavioral measure of social skills, frequency of dating, an oral quiz of social skills, and a personal hygiene checklist. Results indicated that the oral quiz of social skills was the only measure in which the trained subjects performed superior to the control subjects. The other nine measures failed to yield I any significant difference between groups. Discussion focused on factors accounting for the negative findings