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Self- and group orientations represent distinct ways of perceiving the relations between the world and the self and are relevant to adolescents' development. Most of the existing studies in this area are cross-sectional, providing little information about how self- and group orientations develop. This 3-year longitudinal study examined the developmental patterns of self- and group orientations and their relations with adjustment among Chinese adolescents. The participants included 1,257 students (648 boys, initial M[subscript age] = 13.37 years, SD = 0.63 years). Data on self- and group orientations and social and behavioral adjustment were obtained from multiple sources, including self-reports, peer nominations, and teacher ratings. The results showed that self-orientation increased, and group orientation decreased during early adolescence. Moreover, an increase (slope) in self-orientation was positively associated with subsequent assertive behavior, whereas a slower decrease in group orientation was positively associated with subsequent prosocial behavior and peer preference. The initial level (intercept) of self-orientation was positively associated with later externalizing problems, and the initial level of group orientation was negatively associated with later internalizing problems. The intercepts of self- and group orientations were higher for boys than girls. No significant gender differences were found in the slopes of self- and group orientations or in the associations of intercepts and slopes with adjustment outcomes. The results indicated different developmental patterns of self- and group orientations and their different implications for adjustment in Chinese adolescents.

This study examined relations of affinity for solitude with social-behavioral, academic, and psychological adjustment in Chinese children and adolescents. The participants included 3,417 students (1,714 boys) in fourth, sixth, and eighth grades (M[subscript ages] = 10, 12, and 14 years, respectively) in China. Data on affinity for solitude were collected from students' self-reports and data on adjustment were collected from multiple sources. The results showed that whereas affinity for solitude was negatively associated with social competence and academic achievement and positively associated with behavioral problems in Grade 4, the associations were weaker or nonsignificant in Grade 6. Moreover, affinity for solitude was positively associated with academic achievement and negatively associated with behavioral problems in Grade 8. Affinity for solitude was negatively associated with psychological adjustment in general, but the associations were weaker in higher grades. The results indicate that the functional meaning of affinity for solitude may differ across developmental periods. Parents, teachers, and professionals should be aware of the different implications of affinity for solitude in childhood and adolescence and use different strategies to support children and adolescents who display affinity for solitude.

The present study examined relations between concern for mianzi, or the social perception of one's prestige and standing in the group, and adjustment in Chinese adolescents. Participants were seventh- and ninth-grade students in rural and urban regions of China (n = 794, M[subscript age] = 14 years). Data were obtained from multiple sources including peer assessments, teacher ratings, self-reports, and school records. The results showed that concern for mianzi was associated with social competence, leadership, academic achievement, as well as aggression and mixed peer relationships in rural adolescents. In contrast, concern for mianzi was associated with comprehensive social, school, and psychological adjustment problems in urban adolescents. The results indicate the role of context in shaping the relations between adolescents' concern for mianzi and adjustment.

The goal of this longitudinal study was to examine developmental trajectories of emotional school engagement among Chinese elementary school children. In addition, we sought to explore the role of early peer relationships and academic achievement as predictors of these trajectories. Participants at the outset of the study were N = 1,136 second-grade students (582 boys; M[subscript age] = 8.59 years) in mainland China. At Time 1, peers provided nominations of peer preference and victimization, and teachers rated children's academic achievement. Longitudinal data on self-reported emotional engagement were then collected annually for four years. Among the results, two distinct trajectories of emotional school engagement were identified: High-Decreasing and Low-Increasing. Children at Time 1 with more positive peer relationships and higher academic achievement were more likely to be in the High-Decreasing trajectory. Children with higher academic achievement also displayed a more rapid decrease in their emotional engagement in the High-Decreasing subgroup and a lower increase in their emotional engagement in the Low-Increasing subgroup. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of emotional engagement in the Chinese cultural context.

Introduction: As individuals enter adolescence, their preference for solitude (PFS) increases with age, which may be a result of balancing the need for social affiliation and the need for autonomy and independence. These needs are shaped by the social-cultural contexts, and thus the growth rate of PFS may differ across social-cultural contexts. This study examined to what extent the developmental trajectory of PFS differed between urban and rural Chinese adolescents. Methods: Adolescents in urban (n = 326,168 boys, Mage =12.00 years, SD = 0.61) and rural (n = 449, 198 boys, Mage =11.82 years, SD = 0.58) regions in China reported their PFS and shyness each year from Grade 6 to Grade 8. Longitudinal measurement invariance of PFS was established between the urban and rural samples. Location and gender differences in the intercept and the slope of PFS were examined using a latent growth model, while controlling for shyness at each time point. Results: The analyses revealed that adolescents in both urban and rural regions showed an increasing trajectory of PFS. Although urban and rural adolescents did not differ in the initial level of PFS at Grade 6, urban adolescents' PFS increased faster than that of the rural adolescents. The urban-rural difference in the slope of PFS remained significant after controlling for the associations between the intercept and the slope of PFS and shyness at each time point. In addition, in the rural region, boys showed a faster increase of PFS than girls, yet gender differences in the initial level of PFS and the developmental trajectory in the urban region were nonsignificant. Discussion: The findings reveal a normative increasing trend of PFS during early adolescence and faster increase for urban than rural adolescents. To promote adolescents' psychological well-being, parents, teachers and practitioners need to help adolescents establish a good balance between social interaction and solitude. When deciding what is a good balance, it is important to consider the social-cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study examined the moderating effect of children's resilience on the relations between unsociability and social adjustment (i.e., prosocial behaviors, peer exclusion, interpersonal skills, internalizing problems) in Chinese preschool migrant children. Methods: Participants were N = 148 children (82 boys, Mage = 62.32 months, SD = 6.76) attending two public kindergartens in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Mothers provided ratings of children's unsociability and resilience; teachers assessed children's social adjustment outcomes, and children reported their receptive vocabulary. Results: Unsociability was positively associated with peer exclusion and internalizing problems, and negatively associated with prosocial behaviors and interpersonal skills among Chinese preschool migrant children. Moreover, children's resilience significantly moderated the relationship between unsociability and social adjustment. Specifically, among children with lower levels of resilience, unsociability was significantly and positively associated with peer exclusion and internalizing problems, while among children with higher levels of resilience, unsociability was not associated with social adjustment difficulties. Conclusion: The current findings inform us of the importance of improving children's resilience to buffer the negative adjustment among Chinese migrant unsociable young children. The findings also highlight the importance of considering the meaning and implication of unsociability for preschool migrant children in Chinese culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This one‐year longitudinal study examined relations between acculturation and adjustment in rural‐to‐urban migrant children in China. Participants included 335 migrant students (initial mean age = 12 years, 198 boys) in fourth to sixth grades in public schools in Shanghai, China. Data on acculturation were collected from children's self‐reports, and data on social, school, and psychological adjustment were obtained from multiple sources, including peer evaluations, teacher ratings, self‐reports, and school records. The results showed that accommodation to urban culture positively contributed to later social competence. Maintenance of rural culture positively contributed to later psychological well‐being for migrant children who were low on accommodation to urban culture. In addition, social competence and academic performance positively contributed to later accommodation to urban culture and maintenance of rural culture. The results help understand the developmental processes involved in the acculturation and adjustment of migrant children in contemporary societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study is to examine the role of friendship quality in the links between shyness and children's psychological adjustment, and the potential moderating role of gender. Participants were N = 787 children in Grades 4–8 (Mage = 12.69 years, SD = 1.54) in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. They completed peer nomination items assessing shyness, and self‐report measures on friendship quality and the psychological outcome measures of loneliness, self‐esteem and depressive symptoms. Moderated‐mediation analyses revealed that shyness was associated positively while friendship quality was correlated negatively with psychological maladjustment, and that friendship quality mediated the associations between shyness and the outcomes. These mediation effects, however, were moderated by gender, such that friendship quality was a significant mediator for boys, but not for girls. Taken together, the findings highlight the oftentimes overlooked importance of friends in the lives of shy children. Highlights: The study evaluated a model linking shyness, gender and psychological adjustment in Chinese children.Assessments of shyness, friendship quality and psychological adjustment were obtained from multiple sources, including peer nominations and self‐reports.Friendship quality mediated the associations between shyness and the outcomes in boys, but not in girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to evaluate a complex theoretical model linking gender, unsociability, peer relations, and indices of psychological maladjustment among children in the People's Republic of China. Participants were 711 (395 boys) Grade 4 to Grade 8 (Mage = 10.98 years, SD = 1.56) students selected from 4 public schools in Shanghai. Multi‐source assessments were employed, including peer nominations of unsociability, sociometric nominations to measure peer preference, as well as child self‐reports of friendship quality, depressive symptoms, loneliness, and self‐worth. Among the results, both peer preference and friendship quality mediated the associations between unsociability and psychological maladjustment. Further analyses revealed that such mediating effects were significantly moderated by gender. Specifically, the mediating effects of friendship quality in the associations between unsociability and psychological maladjustment only existed for boys. In addition, peer preference played a mediation role in the associations between unsociability and psychological maladjustment for both boys and girls, although the strength of the associations was stronger among boys than girls. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of considering gender and different types of peer experiences in studies of unsociable children in Mainland China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the implications of social anxiety symptoms in a community sample of elementary school children in mainland China. Method Participants were N = 576 children (309 boys, 267 girls; mean age = 11.52 years, standard deviation = 1.21) attending public elementary schools in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Multisource assessments included child self-reports, teacher ratings, and school records. Results Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the previously established 3-factor solution for the Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised. Social anxiety symptoms were associated with indices of internalizing problems, peer difficulties, and poorer school adjustment. Conclusion Results are discussed in terms of the implications of social avoidance as a particularly maladaptive component of social anxiety in the collectivistic society of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]