Fatta Laura Maria, Laugeson Elizabeth A, Bianchi Dora, Laghi Fiorenzo, Scattoni Maria Luisa
Research Coordination and Support Service, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2025 Jan;55(1):202-220. doi: 10.1007/s10803-023-06211-3. Epub 2024 Jan 8.
The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) is an intervention targeting social skills for autistic adolescents and those with other social challenges. The efficacy of the PEERS on adolescents has been extensively explored but the program has not been validated in Italy. In the present study, we adapted PEERS to Italian culture and evaluated its efficacy in an Italian sample. A Randomized Controlled Trial was conducted, analyzing the results of 37 autistic adolescents who were randomly assigned to two groups: experimental group (TG) and waitlist group (WL). The primary outcomes (social abilities) and secondary outcomes (co-occurring conditions, executive functions) were assessed at four time points. No differences were found at pre-treatment between groups on baseline measures and primary outcomes. At post-treatment, significant group differences emerged in primary outcomes (social knowledge and social performance) and secondary outcomes (emotion regulation). The groups' results pooled together (TG + WL) confirmed the findings at post-treatment and showed further changes in primary outcomes (global social competence and social cognition) and secondary outcomes (externalizing problems, emotive and behavioral total problems, functional problems related to depressive symptoms). The improvements were maintained at a 3-month follow-up, except for global social competence and social cognition. Additionally, new results emerged regarding internalizing problems and global executive functioning. The efficacy of the Italian version of PEERS was ascertained on primary and secondary outcomes. Innovative findings on emotion regulation, behavioral problems, and depression symptoms also emerged.Clinical trial registration information Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) for Italy. An RCT's Study on Social Skills Intervention for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov . TRN: NCT05473104. Release Date: July 21, 2022.
关系技能教育与提升项目（PEERS）是一项针对自闭症青少年及其他存在社交挑战的青少年的社交技能干预项目。PEERS对青少年的疗效已得到广泛研究，但该项目在意大利尚未得到验证。在本研究中，我们对PEERS进行了意大利文化适应性调整，并在意大利样本中评估了其疗效。我们进行了一项随机对照试验，分析了37名自闭症青少年的结果，他们被随机分为两组：实验组（TG）和候补名单组（WL）。在四个时间点评估了主要结局（社交能力）和次要结局（共病情况、执行功能）。在治疗前，两组在基线测量和主要结局方面没有差异。在治疗后，主要结局（社交知识和社交表现）和次要结局（情绪调节）出现了显著的组间差异。将两组结果合并（TG + WL）证实了治疗后的结果，并显示主要结局（整体社交能力和社交认知）和次要结局（外化问题、情绪和行为总问题、与抑郁症状相关的功能问题）有进一步变化。除了整体社交能力和社交认知外，这些改善在3个月的随访中得以维持。此外，还出现了关于内化问题和整体执行功能的新结果。确定了意大利版PEERS在主要和次要结局方面的疗效。在情绪调节、行为问题和抑郁症状方面也出现了创新性发现。
临床试验注册信息 意大利关系技能教育与提升项目（PEERS）。一项针对自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）青少年社交技能干预的随机对照试验研究。网址：http://clinicaltrials.gov 。试验注册号：NCT05473104。发布日期：2022年7月21日。
