Anxious Solitude and Peer Exclusion: A Diathesis–Stress Model of Internalizing Trajectories in Childhood

Abstract

A diathesis-stress model was proposed in which the joint forces of individual vulnerability (anxious solitude) and interpersonal adversity (peer exclusion) predict depressive symptoms in children over time. Children's (N = 388; 50% female) social behavior, peer exclusion, and emotional adjustment were assessed at kindergarten entry and every spring thereafter through 4th grade, primarily by teacher report. Results indicated that anxious solitude and peer exclusion co-occur in children soon after kindergarten entry and that anxious solitary children who are excluded early on, in comparison with their nonexcluded anxious solitary counterparts, display greater stability in their subsequent display of anxious solitude. As hypothesized, the joint influence of anxious solitude and exclusion predicted the most elevated depressive symptom trajectories.

Early childhood anxious solitude and subsequent peer relationships: Maternal and cognitive moderators

“…Anxious solitude was assessed by child care providers prior to entry to formal schooling at 2, 3, and 4.5 years on a scale adapted from Gazelle and Ladd (2003). At the same time points, children's interactions with their mothers were rated by observers for maternal sensitivity.…”

“…The entire standard CBCL/TRF forms were administered, although only selected items were included in the composites calculated for this study. The anxious solitude composite has demonstrated good psychometric properties in previous investigations (Gazelle & Ladd, 2003;Gazelle & Rudolph, 2004) and was slightly adapted for present purposes. The following eight items constituted the anxious solitude composite: "withdrawn, doesn't get involved with others," "too shy or timid," "self-conscious or easily embarrassed," "avoids looking others in the eye," "too fearful or anxious," "worries," "nervous, high-strung, or tense," and "afraid to try new things."…”

“…In particular, little is known about factors that may increase or buffer anxious solitary children's risk for subsequent interpersonal and emotional difficulties. In recent work on this issue, peer exclusion in the early school years has been found to forecast divergent adjustment trajectories among anxious solitary children throughout middle childhood (Gazelle & Ladd, 2003). Specifically, anxious solitary children who became excluded by peers in the early school years demonstrated greater stability of anxious solitude and more elevated depressive symptoms from kindergarten through the fourth grade.…”

“…Some anxious solitary children meet this challenge by developing positive interaction patterns with friends, while others rapidly encounter peer adversity (e.g., rejection, exclusion) (Gazelle & Ladd, 2003). We frame risk for peer adversity as a function of both child and environment.…”

“…There is some evidence of greater risk for peer adversity among anxious solitary boys than girls (e.g., Gazelle & Ladd, 2003;Morison & Masten, 1991), and it has been suggested that such findings are due to the incongruence of anxious solitude with the male gender role (Caspi, Elder, & Bem, 1988). However, this sex difference appears to be one of relative strength rather than a difference in the fundamental relation between anxious solitude and risk for peer adversity-anxious solitary girls are clearly at risk for peer difficulties (Gazelle et al, 2005).…”