2014 05 Shyness predicting maladjustment
- 1. LONGITUDINAL OUTCOMES OF SHYNESS FROM CHILDHOOD TO EMERGING ADULTHOOD Jim Grose & Robert Coplan, Department of Psychology, Carleton University METHOD Participants Archival data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), a large-scale Canadian population-based longitudinal sample, was analyzed. Data was collected every two years from each child and the person most knowledgeable (PMK) about the child, usually the mother. The initial sample size in Cycle 1 was n=3514 (51.3% male). Sample size decreased to 41% of the original between Cycle 1 and Cycle 7, due to attrition and refusal. The population of interest for this study was Canadian children aged 8-9 in 1994/95 (NLSCY cycle 1). Data was extracted from Cycle 1 for the Time 1 predictor and control variables, and Cycle 7 (ages 20-21) for the Time 2 outcome variables. All calculations were performed using weighted values representative of the Canadian population of children in Cycle 1. At ages 8-9 years, shyness was significantly and positively related to anxiety (r = .13, p < .001) and significantly and negatively related to prosocial behaviour (r = -.15, p < .001). Exploring links between shyness at ages 8-9 years and indices of socio-emotional functioning 12 years later, we found: • Lower interpersonal adjustment was predicted by gender (with boys less well interpersonally adjusted than girls), being somewhat shy, and being of lower SES. Those boys who were about average tended to have lower interpersonal adjustment than those who were very outgoing. (Table 1). • Lower intrapersonal adjustment was predicted for children who were somewhat shy or about average. Those boys who were about average tended to have higher intrapersonal adjustment than those who were outgoing (Table 2). REFERENCES 1.Coplan, R.J., Prakash, K., O’Neil, K., & Armer, M. (2004).Do you “want” to play? distinguishing between conflicted shyness and social disinterest in early childhood. Developmental Psychology, 40 (2), 244-258. 2.Rubin, K., Coplan, R., & Bowker, J. (2009). Social withdrawal in childhood. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 141–171. 3.Holder, M. & Klassen, A. (2010). Temperament and happiness in children. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11(4), 419-439. DISCUSSION First, we validated a parent-reported ordinal variable as a measure of child shyness at ages 8-9 years by comparing it to measures of anxiety and prosocial behavior. Our findings suggest that a single item parent response may be sufficient to assess shyness in the child at ages 8-9 years. Gender and being somewhat shy did not interact in predicting interpersonal adjustment, contrary to our expectation. However gender interacted with being about average in boys, predicting lower interpersonal but higher intrapersonal adjustments. Our key finding was that a single item measurement of parent- rated shyness in the child can at least partially predict composite measures of socio-emotional functioning in emerging adulthood, and that these predicted outcomes were measured a full 12 years later. Earlier detection and treatment of childhood social inhibition and especially its negative correlates, such as sub-clinical levels of anxiety, could produce positive long-term benefits. INTRODUCTION Shyness is a temperamental trait that refers to wariness, unease, and self-consciousness or embarrassment in novel social situations and instances of perceived social evaluation1,2. Shyness in children is concurrently and predictively associated with internalizing problems such as anxiety 3. However, in only a handful of previous studies have researchers explored the long- term implications of childhood shyness among adults. The goals of this study were to: (1) validate a parent-reported ordinal variable as a measure of child shyness at ages 8-9 years; and (2) explore links between shyness at ages 8-9 years and indices of socio-emotional functioning 12 years later in emerging adulthood (ages 20-21 years). It was expected that higher childhood shyness would predict lower interpersonal (empathy and social skills in dealing with others) and intrapersonal (examination and knowledge of one’s own feelings) adjustment in emerging adulthood. It was also expected that although shyness would be equally likely among boys and girls at ages 8-9 years, the outcomes at ages 20-21 years would differ by gender, with shy boys more likely to experience interpersonal adjustment problems in emerging adulthood. Measures • Gender • Socio-economic status (SES), based on the education and occupation of the PMK and spouse, as well as the household income PMK responses at child age 8/9 years: • Child’s shyness in making new friends on a 3-point Likert scale • Very outgoing (reference group) • About average • Somewhat shy • Child’s anxiety on a scale with values from 0 to 16 • Child’s prosocial on a scale with values from 0 to 20 Participant responses at ages 20/21 • Interpersonal adjustment with values from 0 to 16 • Intrapersonal adjustment with values from 0 to 16 RESULTS Table 1. Standardized linear regression coefficients for predictors at ages 8-9 of positive interpersonal adjustment at ages 20-21 Beta Adj R2 Step 1------------------- .00 SES .183* Step 2------------------- .05 About average -.167 Somewhat shy -.376* Gender (0 F, 1 M) -.987*** Step 3------------------- .06 About average x Gender -.880** Somewhat Shy x Gender -.169 p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001 Table 2. Standardized linear regression coefficients for predictors at ages 8-9 of positive intrapersonal adjustment at ages 20-21 Beta Adj R2 Step 1------------------- -.00 SES .004 Step 2------------------- .01 About average -.554** Somewhat shy -.792*** Gender (0 F, 1 M) .297 Step 3------------------- About average x Gender 1.276*** .02 Somewhat Shy x Gender .797 * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001