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The goal of this study was to evaluate the measurement invariance of an adapted assessment of motivations for social withdrawal (Social Preference Scale-Revised; SPS-R) across cultural contexts and explore associations with loneliness. Participants were a large sample of university students (N = 4,397; M-age = 20.08 years, SD = 2.96; 66% females) from 10 countries (Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, India, Italy, South Korea, Norway, Turkey, and the United States). With this cross-cultural focus, we illustrate the multiple-group factor analysis alignment method, an approach developed to assess measurement invariance when there are several groups. Results indicated approximate measurement invariance across the 10 country groups. Additional analyses indicated that overall, shyness, avoidance, and unsociability are three related, but distinct factors, with some notable country differences evident (e.g., in China, India, and Turkey). Shyness and avoidance were related positively to loneliness in all countries, but the strength of the association between shyness and loneliness differed in Italy and India relative to the other countries. Results also indicated that unsociability was related positively to loneliness in the United States only. Theoretical and assessment implications are discussed., Funding agency:Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant 4352017-0849

The main goal of this study was to compare the presence of social withdrawal behaviors (shyness and preference for solitude) in the family and school microsystems of children from urban, urban-marginalized and rural contexts. A total of 190 children (Mmonths= 62.11, SD= 7.13, 54.2% boys) who attended kindergarten in three public educational institutions were evaluated. The data corresponding to the preference for solitary play reported by the children themselves, and the parents’and teachers’ perceptions of shyness and loneliness were considered. Results showed that social withdrawal behaviors are more sensitive to be observed in certain socialization milieus according to the contexts: the urban group presented a greater teachers’ perception of social withdrawal in the two subtypes for boys and girls compared to the other two groups, while the urban-marginalized context recorded a higher parents’ perception of preference for solitude in their sons and daughters compared to the other contexts. No differences were found between groupsin children’spreference for solitary play.The results are discussed based on the socialization expectations towards children and the effective possibilities of interacting with peers that family and school environments present in each evaluated context., El objetivo principal de este estudio fue comparar la presencia de conductas de retraimiento social (timidez y preferencia por la soledad) en los microsistemas familiaresy escolaresde niños y niñas provenientes de contextos urbanos, urbano-marginados y rurales. Se evaluaron en total 190 escolares (Mmeses= 62.11, DE= 7.13, 54.2% niños) que asistían a Nivel Inicial (salas de 4 y 5 años) en tres instituciones educativas de gestión estatal. Se consideraron los datos correspondientes a la preferencia por el juego solitario referido por los propios niños y niñas, y las percepciones de timidez y soledad de los padres y las docentes. Los resultados mostraron que las conductas de retraimiento social son más sensibles de observarse en determinados espacios de socialización según los contextos: el grupo urbano presentó una mayor percepción de los docentes de retraimiento social en los dos subtipos para los niños y las niñas en comparación con los otros dos grupos, mientras que el contexto urbano-marginado registró mayor percepción de soledad por parte de los padres en sus hijos e hijas en comparación a los demás contextos. No se encontraron diferencias entre los gruposen la preferencia por el juego solitario de los niños y niñas. Se discuten los resultados en función de las expectativas de socialización hacia los niños y las niñas y las posibilidades efectivas de interactuar con pares que presentan los ambientes familiares y escolares en cada comunidad evaluada.

Background: Parental beliefsnamely, parents’ ideas, knowledge, values and attributions are essential in the study of relationships between parents and children. They consist of cognitive and affective processes that influence strategies to promote acceptable social behaviors or to modify those considered undesirable. General Objective: To explore fathers’ and mothers’ beliefs about their children’s social withdrawal behaviors in the city of Mendoza, Argentina. Method: A qualitative methodology and a grounded theory approach were chosen. A non probability purposive sampling was used. Fathers and mothers of five four-year-old children who attended public educational institutions participated in the study. The focused interview was used as data collection instrument. Results: Emerging categories: internal and external causal attributions, causal attributions of cognitive and/or social emotional development, parental socialization strategies characterized by excessive control and overprotection. Conclusions: Parental beliefs provide a frame of reference that guides children’s interactions and determines the opportunities parents offer their children for their social emotional development. Authorship contributionCG, KNC and MSI: all authors participated in writing and revising the manuscript in drafting and revising the manuscript., Antecedentes: As crenças dos pais, ou seja, idéias, conhecimentos, valores e atribuições, são centrais para o estudo das relações pai-filho. São processos cognitivos e afetivos que influenciam estratégias para promover comportamentos sociais aceitáveis ou para modificar comportamentos indesejáveis. Objetivo geral: explorar as crenças dos pais sobre os comportamentos de afastamento social de seus filhos na cidade de Mendoza, Argentina. Método: foi escolhida uma metodologia qualitativa, utilizando a abordagem Grounded Theory. A amostragem foi não-probabilística e intencional, com a participação de pais de cinco crianças de quatro anos de idade freqüentando instituições educacionais administradas pelo Estado. A entrevista focalizada foi usada como instrumento de coleta de dados. Resultados: categorias emergentes: atribuições causais internas e externas, atribuições causais do desenvolvimento cognitivo e/ou socioemocional, estratégias de socialização dos pais e aquelas caracterizadas por controle excessivo e superproteção. Conclusões: As crenças dos pais fornecem um quadro de referência que orienta as interações de seus filhos e determina as oportunidades que eles oferecem para seu desenvolvimento socioemocional. Contribuição da autoriaCG, KNC e MSI: todos os autores participaram da redação e na redação e revisão do manuscrito., Antecedentes: las creencias parentales entiéndase sus ideas, conocimientos, valores y atribuciones son primordiales en el estudio de las relaciones entre padres e hijos. Son procesos cognitivos y afectivos que inciden en las estrategias para promover conductas sociales aceptables o para modificar aquellas no deseables. Objetivo general: explorar las creencias de los padres y las madres sobre los comportamientos de retraimiento social de sus hijos/as en la ciudad de Mendoza, Argentina. Método: se optó por una metodología cualitativa, utilizando el enfoque de la Teoría Fundamentada. El muestreo fue no probabilístico e intencional y participaron padres y madres de cinco niños/ as de cuatro años que asistían a instituciones educativas de gestión estatal. Se utilizó la entrevista enfocada como instrumento de recolección de datos. Resultados: categorías emergentes: atribuciones causales internas y externas, atribuciones causales del desarrollo cognitivo y/o socioemocional, estrategias parentales de socialización y caracterizadas por control excesivo y sobreprotección. Conclusiones: las creencias parentales proveen un marco de referencia que guían las interacciones de sus hijos/as y determinan las oportunidades que les brindan para su desarrollo socioemocional. Contribución de autoría CG, KNC y MSI: todas las autoras participaron en la redacción y revisión del manuscrito.