Eficacia de una intervención para incrementar apoyo social en adolescentes discapacitados motores a partir del voluntariado de estudiantes de educación secundaria

  1. Morales Rodríguez, Francisco Manuel
  2. Cerezo Rusillo, María Teresa
  3. Fernández, Francisco Javier
  4. Infante Cañete, Lidia
  5. Trianes Torres, María Victoria
Journal:
Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología

ISSN: 0120-0534

Year of publication: 2009

Volume: 41

Issue: 1

Pages: 141-150

Type: Article

More publications in: Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología

Abstract

This research addresses the need of adolescents with motor disabilities to increase their social relationships and how through induced volunteerism peers can provide that assistance. Participants were 30 motor disabled adolescents (20 males and 10 females) and 35 nondisabled volunteer adolescents (27 females and 8 males), all of them high school students in Spain. Analyses compare social competence, general self-concept, social selfconcept and social support perceived by motor disabled adolescents both before and after their participation on the program. Results show that they have improved their scores in all these variables. A further analysis compares the changes that a group of voluntary adolescents experienced in the variables of social self-concept and values of friendship and partnership both before and after the intervention, with the result that they did not increase their scores. Additionally, a qualitative assessment was carried out of the repercussions of the program on the disabled adolescents and their families, with the result that they were all glad to participate in this experience. Finally, we discuss the value of induced volunteering as a tool to help disadvantaged people, as well as its educational value to promote prosocial behavior in adolescents.