Psychosocial skills, called also life skills, are very important for the prevention and promotion of over al health and well-being. The psychsocial skills have been defined as psychological and social abilities that enable the individual to effectively cope with the difficulties of everyday life through adaptable and socially acceptable behavior.
WHO has defined life skills as “a group of psychosocial and interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, cope with difficulties and manage their lives in a healthy and productive way”.
Since the beginning of the 21th century, psychosocial competences have been the foundation of the majority of individual or social mental health protection initiatives. In fact, the majority of effective prevention and mental health promotion programs now center on the advancement of psychosocial skills, either alone or in combination with other types of intervention. Numerous programs focusing on psychosocial skills have proven to be beneficial in preventing and promoting mental health issues. These outcomes have had a long-lasting impact on students’ academic achievement, behavioral issues and violence, anxiety and depressive disorders, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, and general well-being.
Three main categories have been identified for the psychosocial skills:
– cognitive abilities (information utilization and processing);
– emotional and personal abilities (self-control and autonomy);
– Interpersonal abilities (strong social interaction and communication).
Life is continuously showing new challenges with the raising technology usabilities and climate change impact. It is full of its ups and downs, but everyone has to face successfully their own set of daily life challenges. In this context, learning how to overcome challenges is very useful to maintain balance and remain calm under pressure. New generations need to develop effective psychosocial abilities during their growing-up process. Adults, parents, and teachers have to be aware and well informed about psychosocial aspects of wellbeing.
