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

Abstract

It was hypothesized that the relation between early anxious solitude and subsequent peer relation would be moderated by early relational (maternal sensitivity) and individual factors (child school readiness). Participants were 1,364 children from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Anxious solitude was assessed by child care providers from 2 to 4.5 years, maternal sensitivity was observed during mother-child interactions from 2 to 4.5 years, school readiness was tested at 3 years, children's interactions with a friend were observed at 4.5 years, and friendship quantity and peer rejection were assessed by first grade teachers. Results indicate that anxious solitary children who had experienced high versus low early maternal sensitivity contributed significantly more actively to positive interaction and less actively to negative interaction with a friend at 4.5 years (these results were contingent on school readiness), and had more friends and were less rejected by peers in first grade. Although high school readiness predicted interactive competency and positive peer relationships in children low in anxious solitude, these benefits were suppressed in anxious solitary children.

Shy and soft‐spoken: shyness, pragmatic language, and socio‐emotional adjustment in early childhood

“…These results add to the growing number of recent studies that have identified risk and protective factors in the adjustment developmental pathways of shy children, including parental characteristics , friendships (Rubin et al, 2006), and classroom climate (Gazelle & Spangler, 2007). Moreover, these findings extend the small body of literature suggesting that language skills may serve a protective role for shy children (e.g.…”

Temperament and Maternal Emotion Socialization Beliefs as Predictors of Early Childhood Social Behavior in the Laboratory and Classroom

“…For instance, Blair and colleagues (2004) found a positive relation between maternal ratings of inhibited behavior and assessments of cognitive regulation measures. Furthermore, Coplan and colleagues (2001) reported an association between observed shy/withdrawn behavior and academic achievement for girls, and Gazelle and Spangler (2007) have reported similar findings for boys.…”

Social anxiety in childhood: Bridging developmental and clinical perspectives

“…For instance, some children with social anxiety enjoy relatively positive peer relations, whereas others are victimized and excluded by peers (Gazelle, 2008; Greenberg & Kusche, 2006). Such differences appear to be the product of diverse influences, including the quality of early parental relations (Gazelle & Spangler, 2007) and the emotional climate of the concurrent classroom environment (Gazelle, 2006). Moreover, different peer experiences may place socially anxious children on diverse emotional trajectories over time (Gazelle & Ladd, 2003; Gazelle & Rudolph, 2004).…”