Self‐control, peer preference, and loneliness in Chinese children: A three‐year longitudinal study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the longitudinal links among Chinese children's self-control, social experiences, and loneliness, largely from a developmental cascades perspective (which postulates mechanisms about how effects within a particular domain of functioning can impact across additional domains over time). Participants were N 5 1,066 primary school students in Shanghai, P. R. China, who were followed over three years from Grade 3 to Grade 5. Measures of children's behavioral self-control, peer preference, and loneliness were obtained each year from peer nominations and child selfreports. Results indicated that as compared with the unidirectional and bidirectional models, the developmental cascade model represented the best fit for the data. Within this model, a number of significant direct and indirect pathways were identified among variables and over time. For example, self-control was found to indirectly contribute to later decreases in loneliness via a pathway through peer preference. As well, peer preference both directly and indirectly contributed to later increases in self-control. Finally, loneliness directly led to decreases in self-control from Grade 3 to Grade 4, but not from Grade 4 to Grade 5. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of self-control for Chinese children's social and emotional functioning over time. K E Y W O R D S cascade models, contextual-developmental perspective, loneliness, peer preference, self-control

Teacher power and children's loneliness: Moderating effects of teacher‐child relationships and peer relationships

“…The independent samples t test was used to explore the gender difference in children's loneliness ( t = 1.96; p = .050). Although our study found no significant differences of age and gender on children's loneliness, the previous studies demonstrated that children's age and gender were closely related to their loneliness (Mercer & Derosier, ; Liu et al, ). Therefore, these three variables (region, age, and gender) were controlled in the following analyses.…”

“…The standardized score was regarded as the index of peer acceptance. The peer nomination task has been widely used in Chinese children (Liu et al, ).…”

“…Finally, the gender and age might be potential factors that linked with children's loneliness. Prior researchers found that boys were lonelier than girls (Liu et al, ). Moreover, it was found that loneliness decreased with age for children (Mercer & Derosier, ).…”

“…Moreover, early experiences of loneliness can predict poor general health and sleeping difficulties in adolescence (Harris, Qualter, & Robinson, ) and even high mortality risk in adulthood (ShiovitzEzra & Ayalon, ). Interpersonal relationships are vital predictors of children's loneliness (Al‐Yagon & Margalit, ; Nurmi & Salmela‐Aro, ; Wang, Hatzigianni, Shahaeian, Murray, & Harrison, ), and many studies have demonstrated that loneliness results from unsatisfactory relationships with teachers (Galanaki & Vassilopoulou, ) and peers (J. Liu et al, ) in the school context.…”

Childhood Maltreatment and Mobile Phone Addiction Among Chinese Adolescents: Loneliness as a Mediator and Self-Control as a Moderator

“…The effect of long-term negative family environment on loneliness is not effectively moderated by self-control (Betts and Rotenberg, 2010). A research by Liu et al (2017) revealed that loneliness has strong stability and durability, and is difficult to alter through positive psychological traits such as self-control. In conclusion, adolescents who have experienced childhood maltreatment, even though they are no longer abused, can still suffer from problematic behavior and cognition, and this influence is difficult to moderate through self-control.…”