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The goal of this prospective longitudinal study was to explore whether co-occurrent internalizing difficulties and aggression in early childhood convey increased risk for later mental health problems in middle childhood. Participants were mothers from the "Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study" (MoBa), who provided assessments of child internalizing difficulties and aggression at ages 3 years (n = 54,644; 26,750 girls) and 5 years (n = 38,177; 18,794 girls), as measures of child depressive, anxiety, conduct-related, and oppositional defiant (OD) symptoms at age 8 years. Using latent profile analyses (LPA) of internalizing difficulties and aggression, four profiles were identified: low-symptom/normative; primarily internalizing; primarily aggressive; and co-occurrent. Among the other results, the co-occurrent group exhibited the highest levels of depressive, anxiety, and oppositional defiant symptoms at 8 years. Most children (78%) remained stable in their profile between ages 3 and 5 years. Among the transition patterns that emerged, transitions were observed both from the normative to a risk profile and vice versa. Children who remained stable within the co-occurrent profile or who transitioned from the co-occurrent profile to one of the other two risk profiles also exhibited more depressive, anxiety, and OD symptoms at 8 years of age, when compared with children who transitioned from the co-occurrent to the normative profile. The heterogeneity between early manifestation of internalizing difficulties and aggression, and specific type of later mental health symptoms not only supports a shared etiology between internalizing and externalizing difficulties but also points toward the need for person-centered monitoring in early childhood with further implications for early identification of difficulties and preventive measures.

The goal of this study was to explore longitudinal associations between preference for solitude (PFS) and depressive symptoms among early adolescents in mainland China, with a focus on separating between-person and within-person effects using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). Participants were N = 1039 Chinese early adolescents (M[subscript age]= 12.37, 46.1% girls, at Time 1), who completed annual self-reports of depressive symptoms and peer-nominations of PFS over a 3-years period. Results revealed that fluctuations in depressive symptoms consistently predicted fluctuations in PFS 1 year later, but not vice versa, supporting a "symptoms-driven model." Findings are discussed in terms of the role of depressive symptoms in promoting subsequent PFS among early adolescents.

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[subscript 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.

The present study explored variations in the characteristics of teacher-nominated shy students. Participants were N = 329 teachers from 303 elementary schools across Norway. Teachers were first asked to select a current (or previously taught) student who was considered "shy," and then rated different aspects of this child's school adjustment. Among the results, teacher-nominated shy students were found to be a heterogeneous group, varying substantively across several domains of functioning at school. Teachers' descriptions of shy students functioning did not vary significantly as a function of school characteristics (class/school size), teacher characteristics (gender/age/experience), or student grade. However, overall, teachers rated shy male students as evidencing more adjustment difficulties than shy female students. Results are discussed in terms of implications for educational practice.

The study aimed to explore links between social withdrawal subtypes and internalizing problems among children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were N = 748 children (387 girls) aged 7-11 years (M = 8.91, SD = 1.07) attending primary schools in Italy. Children completed an online questionnaire assessing subtypes of social withdrawal (i.e., shyness, social avoidance, unsociability) and indices of internalizing problems (i.e., social anxiety, loneliness, depression). Among the results, shyness was positively associated with social anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Unsociability was related to depression but not to social anxiety and loneliness. Social avoidance was positively related to loneliness and depression (particularly among older children) and negatively associated with social anxiety (particularly among boys). Results are also discussed in terms of the implications of the different subtypes of social withdrawal in late childhood and early adolescence.

Social anxiety is related to a host of negative student outcomes in the educational context, including physical symptoms of anxiety, reduced cognitive functioning, and poor academic performance. Despite the prevalence of social anxiety, little is known about mechanisms that may underlie associations between social anxiety and outcomes in the context of higher education. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate a conceptual model linking social anxiety, communication with peers and instructors, students' experiences (i.e., engagement, connectedness, and satisfaction), and indices of socio-emotional functioning at university. Participants were 1,073 undergraduate students (M[subscript age] = 20.3 years, SD = 3.49) who completed a series of self-report measures. Among the results, social anxiety was negatively related to communication with instructors, socio-emotional functioning, and student experiences, and academic communication accounted for significant variance in the links between social anxiety and student experiences. In addition, there was at least some evidence that student experiences partially mediated the association between social anxiety and socio-emotional functioning. Gender effects suggest that social anxiety is related to less communication with instructors, lower engagement and satisfaction, and poorer socio-emotional functioning among females compared with males. Results are situated within current literature examining social anxiety in education. The discussion provides concrete suggestions for educational practitioners to increase support for students who experience social anxiety.

In this study, we examined how technology impacts adolescents' perceptions of, and affective responses to solitude, as well as how adolescents' own motivations for solitude (shyness, affinity for aloneness) were related to these reactions. Participants were N = 437 adolescents (297 girls; M[subscript age] = 16.15 years, standard deviation (SD) = 0.50) who were presented with a series of hypothetical vignettes asking them to imagine themselves in the context of pure solitude (alone in their room with the door closed), as well as being physically alone but engaged in increasing levels of virtual social engagement, including passive (e.g., watching videos, scrolling, but no direct social engagement), active (e.g., texting), and audio-visual (e.g., Facetime) technology use. Following each vignette, participants reported their perceptions of being alone and positive/negative affective responses. We also measured general motivations for solitude (shyness, affinity for aloneness). Among the results, adolescents perceived themselves as less alone in vignettes depicting increasing virtual social engagement. Affective benefits of increased virtual engagement were also found (e.g., less loneliness/boredom/sadness, greater social connection/contentment). However, these effects were moderated by solitude motivations, with different patterns evident as a function of participant shyness and affinity for aloneness. Findings highlight the importance of considering the nature of adolescents' technology use when alone, as well as motivations for solitude, when considering links between solitude and well-being.

The present study examines within- and between-person associations between emerging adults' daily time spent alone and their positive/negative affect during social interactions. We also consider whether motivations for seeking solitude (shyness, unsociability, avoidance) moderate these associations. Participants were 411 emerging adults (ages 18-26 years; 51% female; 52% ethnic minority) who reported on their motivations for solitude and completed daily reports of their time spent alone and positive/negative affect experienced during social interactions for 7 consecutive days. Among the results, multi-level modeling indicated that on days when emerging adults spent more time alone than usual, they experienced increased levels of high and low arousal positive affect when they interacted with others. Interactions between shy and avoidant motivations and change in time spent alone also emerged, with follow-up analyses indicating that for highly and moderately shy and avoidant emerging adults, days with more time spent alone than usual were associated with greater reports of anxious affect during social interactions. Findings suggest that although many emerging adults may find social interactions more enjoyable on days with increased time alone, those who actively seek solitude as an escape from perceived stressful or unpleasant social circumstances may not.

Research Findings: The goal of this study was to investigate the role of play behaviors in the links between child shyness and teacher-child relationship quality in preschool. Participants were 212 (102 girls) young children (M = 58.32 months, SD = 10.72) recruited from 10 classrooms in three preschools in central Italy. Parents evaluated children's shyness and teachers rated their relationships with children as well as play behaviors at preschools. Results from path analysis showed that shyness predicted the display of reticent behaviors (onlooking, unoccupied), which in turn, was associated with dependent teacher-child relationships. Shyness also predicted less social play, which in turn was related to less closeness with teachers. Practice or Policy: The findings provide evidence of the role of social play in impacting the quality of teacher relationships with shy preschool children. Teachers' understanding that children's characteristics may influence the quality of teacher-child relationships could be part of teacher training at preschool.

"Social withdrawal" refers to the process whereby a child removes him/herself from opportunities for peer interaction. For the last 30 years, social withdrawal research has been predominantly influenced by Asendorpf's (1990) conceptual model characterizing subtypes of social withdrawal based on combinations of social approach and social avoidance motivations (i.e., shyness, unsociability, or social avoidance). In this essay, we highlight some key limitations in this model and present a series of novel theoretical perspectives that offer opportunities to address these issues. These new perspectives are intended to compliment, supplement, and ultimately be "integrated" with the existing motivational model. Expanding this conceptual model in this regard can reveal novel insights regarding the development and implications of social withdrawal.

The present study explored the relations among preservice teacher shyness (shy, average, outgoing) and their responses towards hypothetical children displaying classroom problem behaviours (shy/quiet, exuberant/talkative) in the classroom. Participants were 335 elementary preservice teachers attending a Midwest university in the United States. Preservice teachers completed self-reports of shyness and responded to hypothetical vignettes depicting different classroom behaviours. Among the results, shy preservice teachers reported lower self-efficacy and less tendency to use warm/supportive and social-learning strategies as compared to their more outgoing counterparts. Shy preservice teachers also had lower tendency than average teachers to refer to high-powered strategies when dealing with shy children, but more likely with exuberant children. Results are discussed in terms of the role of personality in teaching.

The aim of this study was to explore the moderating role of parenting behaviors (i.e., authoritative, authoritarian, protective, and maternal involvement) in the relations between unsociability and socio-emotional adjustment in a sample of young Chinese children. Participants were N = 487 children (283 boys, M[subscript age] = 58.88 months, SD = 10.23) attending preschool/kindergartens from suburban areas in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Mothers rated children's unsociability and parenting behaviors, whereas teachers provided ratings of children's socio-emotional functioning at school. Among the results, unsociability was positively associated with peer exclusion, asocial behavior, and anxious-fearful behavior. However, parenting behaviors significantly moderated these associations. Whereas authoritative parenting attenuated the relation between unsociability and peer exclusion (buffering effect), authoritarian parenting and protection each exacerbated the relations between unsociability and indices of socio-emotional difficulties. The current findings suggest that parenting behaviors may be instrumental in shaping young unsociable children's socio-emotional adjustment. Our results also inform best practices for parenting strategies in response to unsociability in young Chinese children.

Although studies have focused on intergroup biases (e.g., discrimination) during the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about the underlying mechanisms driving intergroup bias, specifically social categorization. In-depth interviews were conducted among 32 residents of Wuhan, P.R. China, during and after the initial COVID-19 lockdown (Jan-July, 2020). Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was applied to describe perceived prejudice and discrimination and the intergroup interaction processes. Results indicated that: (1) Wuhan residents' interpretations of perceived prejudice and discrimination evolved over time, especially regarding views of the pandemic prevention measures; (2) intergroup contact, emotional factors and cognitive factors influenced individuals' perceptions of prejudice and discrimination; (3) social categorization and integration processes underwent changes across different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, encompassing the lockdown and reopening; (4) the group identity of recovered COVID-19 patients was easily solidified; (5) in the group integration process, emphasizing common attributes between groups, individualized media coverage and positive aspects of intergroup interactions weakened intergroup boundaries and promoted group integration. These results enrich existing knowledge about perceived discrimination and social categorization processes of a suddenly marginalized group through qualitative research methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to differentiate groups of children and early adolescents characterized by their motivations for social withdrawal and personal experiences with solitude. Participants were N = 561 (307 girls) children and early adolescents, aged 8–14 years (M = 11.32, SD = 1.63), who completed self‐report assessments of motivations for social withdrawal (i.e., shyness, unsociability), social/asocial dissatisfaction (i.e., loneliness, aloneliness), time alone, affect during solitude, personality traits (i.e., Big Five), and indices of internalizing difficulties (i.e., social anxiety, depression). Results from a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) provided evidence of three distinct groups characterized by different motivations for social withdrawal and experiences with solitude: (1) the shy group, characterized by higher levels of loneliness, social anxiety, depression, and emotional instability; (2) the unsociable group, who reported higher levels of aloneliness and average scores of extraversion and internalizing difficulties; and (3) the sociable group, characterized by lower levels of both loneliness and aloneliness, and higher levels of extraversion. Overall, findings confirmed the heterogeneity in how children and early adolescents experience solitude, their motivations, and individual dispositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to describe the daily activities of Canadian children outside of school. Participants were parents of N = 189 children (90 boys, 99 girls) in grades 1 to 3. The What Your Child Did Today parental telephone interview protocol was developed as a daily log of both the type and social context of children's activities. Among the results, children spent almost half of their waking time in unstructured activities (e.g. free play), compared to 14 percent of on-screen, and 6 percent in structured activities (e.g. sports). Children spent about two-thirds of their time in the company of family followed by peers (22%), and only 10 percent of time was spent alone. Some gender differences were also noted (e.g. boys engaged in more screen time) and parental education was related to time spent in structured activities. Results are discussed in terms of implications for children's socio-emotional development.

The goals of the present study were (a) to explore different aspects of children's participation in structured performing arts activities (e.g., dance and music); and (b) to examine links between participation in performing arts and indices of socioemotional functioning. Participants were N = 166 children (75 boys and 91 girls) in Grade 1 (n = 70, M[subscript age] = 6.17 years, SD = 0.38), Grade 2 (n = 44, M[subscript age] = 7.07 years, SD = 0.26), and Grade 3 (n = 52, M[subscript age] = 8.06 years, SD = 0.37). Parents completed assessments of children's participation in performing arts (activity type, frequency, positive psychological engagement, and stress) and indices of socioemotional functioning. Among the results, children participated most often in dance (particularly girls) and music. There was some evidence to suggest that children were less engaged and experienced more stress in music compared to dance activities. However, participants in music were rated as having fewer peer relationship problems as compared to children who did not participate in performing arts activities. As well, stress in performing arts was positively associated with emotion problems and negatively associated with prosocial behaviors. Results are discussed in terms of the links between performing arts activities and young children's socioemotional functioning.

The goal of this study was to explore links among shyness, receptive vocabulary, and indices of socioemotional functioning in a sample of young children in mainland urban China. In particular, we sought to examine the potential moderating role of receptive language in these relations. Participants were N = 360 young children (200 boys, 160 girls, M[subscript age] = 4.72 years, SD = 0.63) attending preschool/kindergartens in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Multisource assessments were employed, including maternal ratings (child shyness), standardized tests (receptive vocabulary), child self-reports collected during individual interviews (loneliness), teacher ratings (child internalizing problems), and peer nominations (peer liking). Results indicated that receptive vocabulary moderated (buffering effect) the relations between shyness and several indices of socioemotional functioning. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of language skills for early school adjustment of young shy Chinese children.

The goals of this study were to investigate strategies that teachers may use to help students with their shyness at school and to explore potential effects of demographic variables (i.e., teacher experience, class size, grade level) on teachers' strategies. Participants were a national sample of N = 275 teachers (from 230 elementary schools) in Norway, who reported their frequency of use of different strategies and rated their perceived effectiveness for helping shy students across four domains: (1) encouraging oral participation; (2) promoting social relationships; (3) reducing anxiety; and (4) whole-class strategies. Across domains, common themes included teachers' sensitivity to individual shy students, reduction of stress associated with novel situations, involving peers, focus on social skills, and building trusting relationships with shy students. Demographic variables had only limited effects on strategy use/effectiveness. Findings are discussed in relation to previous theory and research related to teachers' strategies for assisting shy students at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood shyness plays an important role in terms of learning and socialization and can have profound effects on individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that can carry over into adulthood. The present study investigated how self-identified childhood shyness might influence elementary school teachers' current perceptions of shyness among their students. Participants were 14 elementary school teachers. Interviews were conducted over the telephone and transcribed for content analysis. Analysis revealed themes of "social factors", "personal factors", and "relating to shyness" that contributed to childhood shyness. Moreover, these experiences of childhood shyness appeared to contribute to teachers' current perceptions of shyness (among teachers who self-identified as shy children). Implications for future research and holistic educational practices are discussed.

The present study examined the concurrent contribution of Turkish children's temperament and teacher-child relationship quality to their social competence and antisocial behavior, with a specific focus on the moderating role of teacher-child relationships (closeness and conflict) on children's temperament (inhibitory control and shyness) when predicting social competence and antisocial behavior. Participants were 94 children (56 boys) with mean age of 7.05 years (SD = .88) enrolled in 24 classrooms from five elementary schools in a suburban school district in Turkey. Mothers reported on children's temperament and teachers reported on their relationships with children as well as children's social competence and antisocial behavior. SAS PROC MIXED was used to test hierarchical regression models of children nested within classrooms. Results showed that high conflict teacher-child relationships moderated the association between low shyness and antisocial behavior. Less shy children displayed more antisocial behavior at higher levels of teacher-child conflict. In addition, at high levels of child shyness, social competence ratings improved as teacher-child closeness increased. Inhibitory control was positively correlated with social competence and negatively correlated with antisocial behavior. The qualities of teacher-child relationships can effectively support children's social competence and antisocial behavior depending upon their temperamental characteristics. Limitations and future directions of the current study are discussed., Author(s): Ibrahim H. Acar [sup.1], Traci S. Kutaka [sup.2], Kathleen M. Rudasill [sup.3], Julia C. Torquati [sup.4], Robert J. Coplan [sup.5], Süleyman Yildiz [sup.6] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411781.a, 0000 0004 [...]