Association between Receptive Language Skill and Social Communication Skill among Preschool Children: Evidence from Surakarta, Central Java

ABSTRACT Background: Receptive language skills are crucial for the development of cognitive and social/emotional skills. Children with social communication problems are at risk of failure in the academic field, difficulty forming friendships, and social exclusion. This study aimed to examine the association between receptive language skill and social communication skill among preschool children. Subjects and Method: This was a cross sectional study conducted in Surakarta, Central Java, in January 2020. A sample of 200 pre-school children was selected by simple random sampling. The dependent variable was social communication. The independent variables were receptive language skill, parenting style, gender, and birth order. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by a multiple linear regression. Results: Good social communication increased with good receptive language skill (OR= 3.21; 95% CI= 0.01 to 0.04; p= 0.002), first birth order (OR= 3.71; 95% CI= 0.79 to 1.47; p<0.001), democratic parenting style (OR= 5.21; 95% CI= 0.09 to 0.20; p<0.001), and female gender (OR= 5.23; 95% CI= 0.89 to 1.97; p<0.001). Conclusion: Good social communication increases with good receptive language skill, first birth order, democratic parenting style, and female gender. Keywords: social communication, receptive language skill Correspondence: Nadya Susanti. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java, Indonesia. Email: [email protected]. Mobile: 081568222014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/the7thicph.03.101