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Unsociability and Shyness in C hinese Children: Concurrent and Predictive Relations with Indices of Adjustment
Author(s) -
Liu Junsheng,
Coplan Robert J.,
Chen Xinyin,
Li Dan,
Ding Xuechen,
Zhou Ying
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
social development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.078
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1467-9507
pISSN - 0961-205X
DOI - 10.1111/sode.12034
Subject(s) - socioemotional selectivity theory , shyness , psychology , developmental psychology , longitudinal study , anxiety , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics
The primary goal of this study was to examine the short‐term longitudinal associations between unsociability, shyness, and indices of adjustment among C hinese children. Participants were 787 children (ages 10–14 years) in an urban area in C hina. Assessments of unsociability, shyness, and adjustment were obtained from multiple sources, including peer nominations, self‐reports, and school records. Results indicated that while controlling for the effects of shyness, unsociability was associated with socioemotional and school difficulties. In particular, unsociability appeared to act as a risk factor for later peer problems and internalizing difficulties across the school year. Some gender differences were also observed in the longitudinal associations between unsociability and indices of adjustment. Results are discussed in terms of the meaning and implication of unsociability in C hinese culture.