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Social Sensitivity and Adjustment in Chinese and Canadian Children
Author(s) -
Chen Xinyin,
Liu Junsheng,
Ellis Wendy,
Zarbatany Lynne
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12514
Subject(s) - socioemotional selectivity theory , psychology , developmental psychology , social competence , china , distress , cultural sensitivity , social relation , social change , social psychology , clinical psychology , political science , law , economics , psychotherapist , economic growth
This study examined relations of social sensitivity to socioemotional and school adjustment in Chinese and Canadian children. Participants were fourth‐ to eighth‐grade students ( M age = 12 years) in China ( n = 723) and Canada ( n = 568). Data were obtained from multiple sources. The analyses revealed that the pattern of relations between social sensitivity and indexes of adjustment differed in the two countries. Social sensitivity was negatively associated with social and school adjustment and positively associated with psychological distress in Canadian children. However, social sensitivity was positively associated with school competence and psychological well‐being in Chinese children. The results indicate that children's social sensitivity may have different functional meanings in Chinese and North American societies.