The many faces of social isolation in childhood.

Abstract

The present investigation examined the stability and the concurrent and predictive correlates of different forms of social withdrawal in childhood. Eighty-eight Grade 2 children were observed during free play and were assessed by peers and teachers on measures of social withdrawal, popularity, and aggression. The children's perceptions of their social skills were also measured. In Grade 4, 81 children were assessed, 55 of whom had been in the original sample. In addition to the Grade 2 measures, children's reports of loneliness and depression were gathered. In Grade 5, 77 children participated, including 51 from the original sample; all measures taken in this grade were similar to those in Grade 4, with the exclusion of behavioral observations. The data revealed at least two distinct subtypes of social isolation, passive-anxious and active-immature. Passive isolation was stable across the three grades; was consistently and concurrently related to peer rejection, internalizing difficulties, and negative social self-perceptions; and was generally unrelated to externalizing problems across all three grades. Moreover, indices of passive isolation in second grade tended to predict depression and loneliness in fifth grade. In contrast, active-immature isolation was infrequent and unstable. This form of isolation was more often associated with aggression and with externalizing rather than internalizing difficulties; however, active isolation was not predictive of subsequent problems in Grade 5.

Childhood and adolescent antecedents of drug and alcohol problems: A longitudinal study

“…They define inhibition as reacting fearfully to strange people, objects, or situations (Kagan et al, 1988) or to the threat of punishment or non-reward (Gray, 1990). In contrast, social withdrawal was defined as "a non-anxious preference for solitary activity" (Rubin and Mills, 1988) or a "failure to be rewarded by social interaction or others' approval" (Kerr et al, 1997). Tests of their effects found that inhibition protected boys against delinquency, but withdrawal was not protective.…”

Isolamento social e sentimento de solidão em jovens adolescentes

“…Neste caso, o retraimento e o défice de interação são o resultado de opções do próprio sujeito (Rubin & Coplan, 2004). Pode estar relacionado com comportamentos de timidez, hipersensibilidade ou ansiedade, sendo um tipo de isolamento que se encontra associado a fatores internos (Coplan & Rubin, 2007;Oh, Rubin, Bowker, Booth-LaForce, Rose-Krasnor, & Laursen, 2008;Rubin & Mills, 1988;Rubin, Bukowsky, & Parker, 2006).…”

O retraimento social em adolescentes: um estudo descritivo do seu ajustamento sócio-emocional segundo a perspectiva dos professores

“…Este constructo está muitas vezes associado à timidez, inibição comportamental, fobia social, reticência social, à passividade e a problemas internalizados (Coplan & Rubin, 2007;Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 2006;Rubin & Mills, 1988). No entanto, parece haver consenso entre os investigadores relativamente ao facto de as diferentes formas de retraimento social terem todas em comum a inexistência ou a pouca frequência de interações com os outros (Ladd & Burgess, 1999).…”

“…No entanto, parece haver consenso entre os investigadores relativamente ao facto de as diferentes formas de retraimento social terem todas em comum a inexistência ou a pouca frequência de interações com os outros (Ladd & Burgess, 1999). Neste sentido, o retraimento social pode ser entendido como a expressão de diferentes formas de solidão que parecem ter diferentes signifi cados (Rubin & Mills, 1988), não só, em diferentes momentos do desenvolvimento, como em diferentes contextos sociais (Rubin, Burgess, & Coplan, 2002), e em diferentes culturas (Chen, Cen, Li, & He, 2005).…”