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MacGowan TL, Schmidt LA. Age-related differences in behavioral problems between shy adults and shy children. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2024; 55:1083-1091. [PMID: 36456829 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-022-01456-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Although both concurrent and longitudinal relations between shyness and behavioral problems are well-established in childhood, there is relatively less work exploring these associations in emerging adulthood. In addition, age-related differences in the strength of these relations in child and adult samples have not been fully explored within the same study. We collected measures of shyness, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and social problems in a sample of 94 typically developing 6-year-old children (50 female; Mage = 78.3 months, SD = 3.1 months) and 775 undergraduate students (633 female, Mage = 18.2 years, SD = 0.9 years) from parent-reported and self-reported questionnaires, respectively. Shyness interacted with age in predicting internalizing behaviors and social problems, but not externalizing behaviors. Specifically, shyness was concurrently and positively related to internalizing and social problems in young adulthood, but this relation was not found in childhood. Findings are discussed in terms of developmental consequences of shyness across the lifespan and limitations of relying on ratings from different informants when examining age-related differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taigan L MacGowan
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
| | - Louis A Schmidt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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2
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Yu Y, Sun H. Shyness and self-consistency and congruence among Chinese adolescents: mediating role of social comparison orientation and moderating role of self-focused attention. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1418123. [PMID: 39045434 PMCID: PMC11263971 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1418123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
During the critical period of personality shaping and self-development, adolescents face unique challenges and opportunities. This study, based on Cognitive-Behavioral Theory, explored the relationship between shyness and self-consistency and congruence (hereinafter referred to as SCC), as well as its underlying mechanisms. Through a questionnaire survey on shyness, social comparison orientation, self-focused attention, and SCC among 984 adolescents, the results revealed that (1) Adolescent shyness negatively predicted SCC. (2) Social comparison orientation partially mediated the relationship between shyness and SCC. (3) Self-focused attention moderated the direct pathway of this mediation process, where a high level of self-focused attention exacerbated the negative impact of shyness on SCC. These findings offered a new perspective on understanding SCC and underscored the importance of addressing the information processing mechanisms of social comparison orientation and self-focused attention among shy adolescents in interventions aimed at promoting their psychological harmony and healthy growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hong Sun
- College of Teacher Education, Taishan University, Shandong, Tai'an, China
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Baardstu S, Sette S, Brandlistuen RE, Wang MV. The role of early social play behaviors and language skills for shy children's later internalizing difficulties in school. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1120109. [PMID: 36937713 PMCID: PMC10014604 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1120109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Research has demonstrated links from early childhood shyness to socioemotional problems later in life. This longitudinal study explored the role of early social play behaviors and language skills in the associations between childhood shyness and later internalizing and language difficulties in school. Participants were N = 7,447 children (50.1% girls) from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Latent direct, indirect, and interaction path analyses were performed within a structural equation framework. Results showed that mother-rated childhood shyness from age 18 months to age five years was associated with mother-rated internalizing difficulties and language problems at age eight years. Lower levels of teacher-reported social play behaviors and poorer language skills in preschool increased the risk of later anxiety problems among shy children, whereas higher levels of language competencies and social play behaviors buffered against later anxiety problems. The study identifies some of the early risk and protective factors that may influence shy children's socio-emotional functioning and adjustment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silje Baardstu
- Department of Childhood and Families, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- *Correspondence: Silje Baardstu,
| | - Stefania Sette
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Mari Vaage Wang
- Department of Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
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Zhu J, Liu M, Shu X, Xiang S, Jiang Y, Li Y. The moderating effect of marital conflict on the relationship between social avoidance and socio-emotional functioning among young children in suburban China. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1009528. [PMID: 36571002 PMCID: PMC9770044 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1009528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social avoidance has been found to be related to negative social adjustment, yet evidence of the relationship between social avoidance and social adjustment is very limited in suburban preschoolers in China. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms that help to explain the associations between social avoidance and socio-emotional adjustment remain poorly considered. The goal of the present study was to examine the moderating effect of marital conflict in the link between social avoidance and indices of socio-emotional functioning among young children in mainland China. Participants were N = 256 children aged from 49 to 72 months (125 boys, 131 girls, Mage = 59.06 months, SD = 6.58) attending preschools/kindergartens in suburban areas of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Multi-source assessments were employed, with mothers reporting marital conflict as well as rating their children's social withdrawal (i.e., social avoidance, shyness, unsociability), and teachers assessing indices of children's socio-emotional functioning at school (i.e., anxious-fearful behavior, peer exclusion, and loneliness). Children were asked about their loneliness. Among the results, social avoidance was positively associated with anxious-fearful behavior, peer exclusion, and loneliness (marginal significance). Moreover, as hypothesized, marital conflict was found to exacerbate the relations between social avoidance and peer exclusion, and loneliness. Results are discussed in terms of the etiology and implications of social avoidance among young children in mainland China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zhu
- Early Childhood Education College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mowei Liu
- Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | - Xin Shu
- Early Childhood Education College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuhui Xiang
- Early Childhood Education College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Yan Li
- Early Childhood Education College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China,*Correspondence: Yan Li,
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Poole KL, Degnan KA, Harrewijn A, Almas A, Fox NA, Henderson HA. Trajectories of socially anxious behavior from age 5 to 13: Temperamental and sociocognitive pathways. Child Dev 2022; 93:1334-1346. [PMID: 35404475 PMCID: PMC9427668 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The authors examined temperamental and sociocognitive predictors of socially anxious behavior from preschool to early adolescence. Children (N = 227; 59% male; 69% White) completed a speech task at ages 5, 7, 10, and 13 and socially anxious behaviors were coded. Behavioral inhibition (BI) was assessed at ages 2/3 and Theory of Mind (ToM) was assessed at age 4. Data collection occurred between 2003 and 2016. Three trajectories of socially anxious behavior were identified: high stable, average increasing, and low stable. Higher BI was related to the high stable trajectory, whereas lower ToM was related to the increasing trajectory of socially anxious behavior. There are heterogenous pathways of socially anxious behavior, which may be uniquely influenced by early temperamental and sociocognitive factors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathryn A Degnan
- Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | | | - Alisa Almas
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nathan A Fox
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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Sette S, Zava F, Baumgartner E, Laghi F, Coplan RJ. Examining links between social withdrawal subtypes and internalizing problems among Italian primary school children. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2022.2086118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Sette
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Zava
- Department of Education, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | - Emma Baumgartner
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Fiorenzo Laghi
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Robert J. Coplan
- Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Hassan R, Schmidt LA. Inhibitory control, dyadic social behavior, and mental health difficulties in preschoolers. Child Dev 2021; 93:e251-e265. [PMID: 34967447 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although inhibitory control is typically associated with positive outcomes, several theoretical frameworks suggest that too little and too much inhibitory control may be problematic. Using a longitudinal, latent variable approach, we examined whether a multi-method index of inhibitory control at Time 1 (N = 105, 52 girls, Mage = 3.50 years, 87% White) predicted observed social behavior with an unfamiliar peer and maternal report of preschoolers' mental health difficulties at Time 2 (Mage = 4.76 years). Data collection occurred between 2017 and 2019. Inhibitory control displayed a U-shaped relation with prospective outcomes, where high and low levels of inhibitory control were associated with higher levels of avoidant social behaviors and mental health difficulties. The results are discussed in the context of under- and over-regulation in understanding individual differences in children's social behavior and mental health difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raha Hassan
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Louis A Schmidt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Sette S, Zuffianò A, López-Pérez B, McCagh J, Caprara GV, Coplan RJ. Links between Child Shyness and Indices of Internalizing Problems during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Protective Role of Positivity. The Journal of Genetic Psychology 2021; 183:91-106. [PMID: 34861807 DOI: 10.1080/00221325.2021.2011093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Shyness in childhood has been linked to socio-emotional difficulties such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness. On the contrary, positivity (i.e., a personal tendency to see oneself, life, and future in a positive light) has been described as a protective factor. Given the challenges experienced by children during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., closure of school and confinement), we aimed to test the potential protective role of positivity and how it may link child shyness and indices of internalizing problems (i.e., anxiety, depression, loneliness) during the first wave of the pandemic. Participants were N = 236 children (Mage = 9.25 years, SD = 1.20) from Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, the three worst-hit countries in Europe when the data were collected (April-June, 2020). Children completed online self-evaluation scales to assess temperamental shyness, positivity, and indices of internalizing problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from a multivariate regression analysis revealed significant interaction effects between shyness and positivity in the prediction of outcome variables. Follow-up simple slope analyses indicated that shyness was positively related to depression only among children with lower levels of positivity. The study highlights the role of children's positivity in buffering the pernicious link between shyness and their negative feelings during the pandemic. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Sette
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Zuffianò
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Jane McCagh
- Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Robert J Coplan
- Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
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Liu R, Phillips JJ, Ji F, Shi D, Bell MA. Temperamental Shyness and Anger/Frustration in Childhood: Normative Development, Individual Differences, and the Impacts of Maternal Intrusiveness and Frontal Electroencephalogram Asymmetry. Child Dev 2021; 92:2529-2545. [PMID: 34196961 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This study used latent growth curve modeling to identify normative development and individual differences in the developmental patterns of shyness and anger/frustration across childhood. This study also examined the impacts of maternal intrusiveness and frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry at age 4 on the developmental patterns of shyness and anger/frustration. 180 children (92 boys, 88 girls; Mage = 4.07 years at baseline; 75.6% White, 18.3% Black, 6.1% multiracial/other) participated in the study. Normative development included significant linear decreases in shyness and anger/frustration. Individual variation existed in the developmental patterns. Children with left frontal EEG asymmetry showed a faster decreasing pattern of shyness. Children who experienced higher maternal intrusiveness and had left frontal EEG asymmetry showed a slower decreasing pattern of anger/frustration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Feng Ji
- University of California, Berkeley
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