Assistance Skills

Abstract

The Assistance Skills scale is a concise Psychological Scale designed to measure an individual’s self-reported frequency of engaging in prosocial, supportive, and helpful behaviors toward their peers. Developed by Hansen and McNeal in 1997, this instrument specifically assesses actions related to providing advice, offering insight into social problems, intervening in risky behaviors, and referring friends to professional help. It is often employed in the evaluation of adolescent health and Substance Abuse Prevention programs, serving as a measure of positive peer influence and active social competency.

Keywords

Assistance skills, helping behavior, peer influence, prosocial skills, social competence, prevention program evaluation, adolescent development, self-report.

Authors

W.B. Hansen, R.B. McNeal

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Assistance Skills scale is to quantify the extent to which an individual actively intervenes to help friends solve personal problems or avoid detrimental actions. This measurement is crucial in evaluating the effectiveness of intervention programs, such as those focusing on drug education or social competency training, by assessing changes in the participants’ capacity to act as positive agents of change within their peer networks. The scale provides a behavioral measure of the respondent’s perceived role in providing social support and guidance.

The instrument moves beyond measuring passive empathy or general social support by focusing on specific, countable actions taken over a defined period (the past 30 days). These actions include giving advice, providing context about social dynamics, proactively stopping negative behaviors, and utilizing knowledge of external resources like counselors.

Construct

The Assistance Skills scale measures the psychological construct of active Prosocial Behavior, specifically focusing on the dimension of positive peer influence and social intervention competency. It assesses the behavioral skills necessary for effective peer leadership and support. This construct is defined by the frequency of instrumental helping behaviors, which are critical mediating variables in successful substance abuse prevention efforts. High scores indicate a strong tendency toward taking on a supportive, problem-solving role within the peer group, demonstrating both the motivation and the ability to exercise positive Social Influence.

Validity

Specific psychometric validation details are primarily found within the seminal research paper by Hansen and McNeal (1997), which examined the scale’s role in measuring mediating variables related to the D.A.R.E. program. While detailed validity coefficients (such as convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity) are not provided in the source excerpt, the scale is implicitly validated by its inclusion in the Core Measures Initiative Phase I Recommendations by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP).

The construct validity of Assistance Skills is supported by its theoretical alignment with models suggesting that positive peer norms and the ability to intervene are protective factors against risky behaviors. The scale is expected to correlate positively with measures of social responsibility and negatively with measures of passive bystander behavior or engagement in risky activities.

Reliability

Detailed reliability statistics, such as internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) or test-retest reliability, are not present in the provided source material. However, as a standardized instrument utilized in major government-sponsored prevention evaluations (CSAP Core Measures), it is assumed that the scale demonstrated acceptable levels of reliability in the original 1997 study published in Health Education & Behavior. Practitioners utilizing this instrument should consult the original Hansen and McNeal publication for specific reliability data appropriate for their target population.

Factor Analysis

The source content does not specify the results of any factor analysis performed on the Assistance Skills scale. Given the small number of items (five), it is likely intended to be utilized as a single, unidimensional factor measuring overall assistance competency or positive peer influence. Any factor analysis conducted would typically confirm whether the items load strongly onto a single underlying construct related to active helping behavior. Researchers should refer to the 1997 publication for empirical confirmation of its dimensionality.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire

Format: Mixed response format, primarily utilizing frequency counts over the past 30 days, alongside a Likert-type frequency rating for the final item.

Language Available: English (as presented in the source content)

Population Group: Adolescents and youth participating in prevention programs.

Age Group: Typically middle school to high school age (approximately 12–18 years), consistent with the population targeted by substance abuse prevention initiatives.

Population Details: Used primarily in school-based settings for program evaluation.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate the frequency of specific helping behaviors they performed for friends during the preceding 30 days. Scoring involves summing the frequency responses, resulting in a continuous measure of assistance engagement. Item 5 uses a different response format (All the time/ Quite often/ Rarely/ Never).

Keywords

Peer support, social skills, intervention, D.A.R.E., CSAP, mediating variables, frequency measure, helping skills.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Dr. Bill Hansen)

Correspondence Address: Dr. Bill Hansen, Tanglewood Research Inc., 701 Albert Pick Road, Greensboro, NC 27409

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and published in 1997. The instrument is publicly available through documents released by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), suggesting it may be used for non-commercial academic and evaluation purposes without a proprietary fee, though researchers should always seek formal written permission from the primary author, Dr. Bill Hansen, or Tanglewood Research Inc., particularly for commercial use or modification.

Reference’s

The Assistance Skills scale is referenced in the following publications and documents:

• Hansen, W.B., & McNeal, R.B. (1997). How D.A.R.E. works: An examination of program effects on mediating variables. Health Education & Behavior, 24(2): 165-176.

• Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. (N.D.). Core Measures Initiative Phase I Recommendations. The original PDF containing the instrument can be downloaded here: http://vvv.dmhas.state.ct.us/sig/pdf/uconn/core_measures.pdf

• The scale is also accessible via the Oregon Mentors evaluation toolkit, titled: Assistance Skills Scale.doc

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Items of the Assistance Skills

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

During the past 30 days‚ how many times have you given friends advice to help them solve a problem?

• No times
• 1 to 2 times
• 3 to 4 times
• 5 to 6 times
• 7 or more times

2. During the past 30 days‚ how many times have you told friends about what other people have said about them to help them understand their problems?

• No times
• 1 to 2 times
• 3 to 4 times
• 5 to 6 times
• 7 or more times

3. During the past 30 days‚ how many times have you tried to stop a friend from doing something that was bad for them?

• No times
• 1 to 2 times
• 3 to 4 times
• 5 to 6 times
• 7 or more times
• 10 or more times

4. During the past 30 days‚ how many times have you told a friend about a counselor or other source of help they could use to help them solve a personal problem?

• No times
• 1 to 2 times
• 3 to 4 times
• 5 to 6 times
• 7 or more times
• 10 or more times

5. How often do your friends come to you seeking your advice?

All the time/ Quite often/ Rarely/ Never