Socio-Demographic Patterns In Life-Skills Competencies Among Early Adolescents: Evidence From A QuasiExperimental Study In India

Background: Life-skills education (LSE) builds adolescents’ psychosocial competence. Evidence is mixed on whether socio-demographic factors (gender, family type, age, social category) shape LSE outcomes. Methods: Quasi-experimental pre–post design with parallel control and experimental cohorts from secondary schools in Kerala, India. Five domains were assessed (decision-making, problem-solving, self-awareness, coping with stress, coping with emotions). Within-group pre/post comparisons used independent-samples t-tests (gender) and one-way ANOVA (family type, age, social category); α=0.05. Results: Pre-test: females outperformed males in decision-making, problem-solving, and self-awareness in both cohorts; no gender differences for coping. Family type showed no differences. Age differences emerged only for self-awareness (16-year-olds higher than 17-year-olds). Social-category differences were significant for decision-making, problem-solving, and self-awareness (SC/ST > OBC/General), with no differences for coping. Post-test: female advantage persisted for cognitive/reflective domains; coping remained non-differential by gender and age; family type stayed null. Social-category gaps largely narrowed, with a residual advantage for SC in stress-coping in the experimental arm. Conclusions: LSE appears to equalize affective competencies across socio-demographic lines while modest gender differences persist in cognitive/reflective skills. Programmes should retain universal components that level coping skills and add targeted supports to accelerate boys’ reflective skill gains.