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With considerable debate concerning the impact of culture on the expression of callous–unemotional (CU) traits, it is unclear whether the core features of CU traits generalize to youth across cultures. This study aimed to examine whether cultural differences are reflected in the core features of CU traits and the associations among these features. Network analysis was employed to identify the core features and to examine the network structure of CU traits operationalized by the Inventory of Callous Unemotional traits (ICU) in four community youth samples from different nations (Australia, N = 190; the UK, N = 437; the USA, N = 330; China, N = 503). The item "Apologizes to people" was identified as a cross-cultural core feature in the ICU network with a greater centrality of this item compared to others in all four samples. In addition, some items were identified as culture-specific core features in the network, differing in their centrality across samples. The network structures of the youth self-report ICU items were moderately similar across samples, while the structures of parent-report items showed substantial differences. These findings have important implications for cross-cultural research on CU traits as well as practical implications for screening and treatment. The core features of ICU appear to be generalizable in youth across cultures, although cultural-specific manifestations should be noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a burgeoning body of research has illustrated the association of grit with academic and psychosocial functioning in adolescence, little is known about how adolescents with differing grit profiles may diverge in regard to peer relationships (i.e., perceived popularity and friendships). Guided by the dynamic interactionism framework, the current study, using a person-centered approach, explores grit profiles of Chinese early adolescents and examines whether these profiles exhibit mean differences in perceived popularity and friendships. A total of 1,150 early adolescents aged from 10 years to 13 years (53.4% male) were involved in this study; participants were asked to complete self-report questionnaires concerning grit and self-perception of friendships and complete peer nominations within each classroom in terms of perceived popularity. A latent profile analysis revealed five grit profiles based on two facets of grit (i.e., perseverance and consistency). Moreover, multivariate analysis of covariance—controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status—showed that early adolescents who scored higher on both perseverance and consistency were nominated as more popular individuals than those with low-to-moderate perseverance and low consistency. In contrast, perseverance was more essential than consistency in determining greater self-perception of friendships. To summarize, the current study suggests that both perseverance and consistency are pivotal in terms of perceived popularity, whereas perseverance is critical in regard to the self-perception of friendships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While trait emotional intelligence (EI) has been found to be related to young adolescents' affect, the underlying mechanisms need to be further explored. Previous findings are also limited by common method problems arising from the use of cross-sectional design involving single-wave data capture. Objective: The study aims to clarify the relation between trait EI and young adolescents' positive and negative affect by further exploring the mediating roles of personal resilience, social support, and prosocial behavior. Method: We conducted a three-wave survey among 714 Chinese junior high school students (mean age of 11.11 years) with temporal separations of the research measures to reduce common method variance. Trait EI was measured at the beginning of Grade 6; personal resilience, social support, and prosocial behavior were measured at the end of Grade 6; positive and negative affect were measured at the end of Grade 7. Results: Trait EI at the beginning of Grade 6 was positively related to positive affect and negatively related to negative affect by the end of Grade 7. The influence of trait EI on positive affect was fully mediated by personal resilience, social support, and prosocial behavior at the end of Grade 6. Its influence on negative affect was also fully mediated by social support. Conclusions: The findings clarify the mechanisms underlying the trait EI effect and highlight the importance of future youth programs targeting mediation mechanisms. In particular, we suggest the worth of utilizing trait EI to better facilitate personal and social resources when facing difficulties, and to help others in appropriate and effective ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Left-behind children (LBC) account for more than one in five Chinese children and more frequently exhibit some personality deviations as a result of being separated from their parents. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to systematically review the personality traits of LBC using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Relevant studies were identified by searching various electronic databases, and 39 articles that contained 12,494 LBC and 10,381 non-LBC were ultimately included in this meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses by grades and sex were conducted to study the personality deviation rate and personality factor scores in LBC. The results indicated that the personality deviation rates of LBC were higher than those of non-LBC. LBC in middle school had higher personality deviation rates than LBC in elementary school. LBC in elementary school had higher neuroticism scores and psychoticism scores than non-LBC. In addition, the analysis of LBC in elementary school showed that boys had higher neuroticism scores but lower psychoticism scores than girls. In conclusion, this meta-analysis indicates that LBC, particularly those in middle school, exhibit higher rates of personality deviation. Meanwhile, regarding to LBC in elementary school, boys are more likely to exhibit emotional instability whereas girls are more likely to show a tendency toward psychoticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a sample of 955 elementary school children in central China, the present study examined family socio-economic status and parent-child relationships in relation to children’s social creativity, as well as the mediating role of personality traits in these associations. Family environment (socio-economic status and parent-child relationships) and personality traits were significantly correlated with social creativity; children openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness and extraversion partly mediated the relationship between family environment and social creativity when controlling for age and sex. These results are important for explaining the roles of the family environment and individual factors in shaping children’s social creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies were conducted to further differentiate 3 forms of shyness previously identified in Chinese children—shyness toward strangers, anxious shyness, and regulated shyness—by examining the relation of the 3 forms of shyness to children's inhibited behavior, physiological reactivity (measured by heart period [HP]), and effortful control. In Study 1 (N = 237; M age = 9.17 years), the authors examined the 3 forms of shyness in relation to children's inhibited behavior and HP assessed in 3 conditions: at baseline, during a stranger encounter, and in a card-sorting task with social evaluative cues. Results of confirmatory factor analyses provided support for a 3-factor model of shyness. Shyness toward strangers was associated with children's inhibition (positively) and HP (negatively) in the stranger encounter and children's HP (negatively) in the card-sorting session, whereas anxious shyness was related to children's inhibition (positively) and HP (negatively) in the card-sorting session. Regulated shyness was not associated with children's inhibition in any session but was negatively related to HP in the stranger encounter session. In Study 2 (N = 208; M age = 6.57 years), the authors examined children's shyness toward strangers and effortful control at age 6 years in relation to anxious and regulated shyness 2 years later. Results showed shyness toward strangers was related to regulated shyness among children with high or moderate effortful control, and shyness toward strangers was related to anxious shyness among children with low or moderate effortful control. Findings support a multidimensional view of shyness in Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on two exploratory studies of situations that elicit shyness in Mainland Chinese children. In Study 1 (N = 100; Mage = 10.42) interviews with Chinese children identified three kinds of shyness-eliciting situations: social novelty; negative social evaluation; and public attention. In Study 2 (N = 162, Mage = 10.19), children's self-reported shyness in various social situations was found to be differentially associated with three forms of shyness common to Chinese culture: shyness toward strangers; anxious shyness; and regulated shyness. The findings revealed both similarities and differences in the eliciting situations for various forms of shyness in Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on three studies of shy behavior in Mainland Chinese children. In Study 1 (N= 107, Mage = 10.05), a Chinese Shyness Scale (CSS) was developed based on Chinese teachers' open-ended descriptions of children's shy behavior. In Study 2 (N= 388, Mage = 10.80) and Study 3 (N= 198, Mage = 10.20), the construct validity of the two forms of shyness that emerged in Study 1 (i.e., anxious shyness and regulated shyness) were examined in relation to children's social preference, temperament, and psychosocial adjustment. A distinct pattern of results was found for anxious shyness and regulated shyness. The findings highlight the role of culture in shaping expression of children's shy behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]