Promotion of Psychosocial Competence through Life Skills Training in Adolescence

Psychosocial competence is a person’s ability to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. It is a person’s ability to maintain a state of mental well-being and demonstrate this in an adaptive and positive behavior, while interacting with others and his / her culture and environment. Psychosocial Competence has an important role to play in the promotion of health in its widest sense; which includes physical, mental, and social well-being.  A person needs to have all their psychosocial needs met to be happy with themselves and those around them, therefore, there’s a need to create a safe support platform where adolescents can learn to turn wounds into pain.

Stress as a result of worries is one of the top ten health concerns in adolescence and it is getting worse. Adolescents experience many changes in their daily lives, however if they are not adequately equipped with skills to help them deal with the increased demands and stress they experience this can result in personal drug and alcohol use, running away from home, prolonged sadness and crying, unusual impulsivity or recklessness or dramatic changes in personal habits.  Therefore, it is important that adolescents develop coping skills before stress results in negative physical, mental, and cognitive outcomes.

Ultimately, the ability to understand the dynamics of stress and choose a healthy coping strategy is a fundamental role in an adolescent’s life.  The most direct intervention for the promotion of psychosocial competence is enhancing a person’s understanding of life skills.  Life skills teach individuals to translate knowledge, attitudes and values into actual abilities that can help them deal with the demands and challenges of their everyday lives.  Life skills for psychosocial competence in young people look at the generic and practical life skills in relation to common health and social problems. It is important that the methods used in teaching life skills to young people is strategic for it to be effective.  Promoting psychosocial competence among adolescents will encourage them to live happily in co-existence with their surroundings.