Unsociability, peer relations, and psychological maladjustment among children: A moderated‐mediated model

Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate a complex theoretical model linking gender, unsociability, peer relations, and indices of psychological maladjustment among children in the People's Republic of China. Participants were 711 (395 boys) Grade 4 to Grade 8 (M age = 10.98 years, SD = 1.56) students selected from 4 public schools in Shanghai. Multisource assessments were employed, including peer nominations of unsociability, sociometric nominations to measure peer preference, as well as child self-reports of friendship quality, depressive symptoms, loneliness, and self-worth. Among the results, both peer preference and friendship quality mediated the associations between unsociability and psychological maladjustment. Further analyses revealed that such mediating effects were significantly moderated by gender. Specifically, the mediating effects of friendship quality in the associations between unsociability and psychological maladjustment only existed for boys. In addition, peer preference played a mediation role in the associations between unsociability and psychological maladjustment for both boys and girls, although the strength of the associations was stronger among boys than girls. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of considering gender and different types of peer experiences in studies of unsociable children in Mainland China. | 1015 BULLOCK et aL.

Relations between social withdrawal subtypes and socio‐emotional adjustment among Chinese children and early adolescents

“…However, massive economic changes and social reforms in China over the last 25 years, particularly in urban centers, have resulted in the adoption of many individualistic values (e.g., assertiveness), which appear to have made shyness a more maladaptive characteristic (Xiao & Coplan, 2021). In support of this notion, results from contemporary studies of shyness among Chinese children and adolescents consistently indicate that shyness is now associated with internalizing problems (e.g., loneliness, depression, low self‐worth), negative peer experiences (e.g., rejection, victimization), and academic difficulties (e.g., poorer academic achievement; Bullock et al, 2020; Ding et al, 2014; Ding et al, 2020; Liu et al, 2019; Zhang & Eggum‐Wilkens, 2018).…”

Preference for Solitude and Mobile Phone Addiction Among Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress and Moderating Role of Mindfulness

“…In collectivistic societies, people with a high preference for solitude may be seen as unsociable, and they are more likely to be evaluated negatively and therefore being excluded or isolated. These negative experiences could lead to a series of psychological distress, including depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress (Wang et al, 2013b;Ladd et al, 2018;Bullock et al, 2020). In addition, according to the Psychological Decompensation Hypothesis (Gao and Chen, 2006) and Compensatory Internet Use Theory (Kardefelt-Winther, 2014), psychosocial problems, such as psychological distress, are one of the basic motivations for individuals' use of Internet or mobile phones.…”

“…These negative life events were positively associated with stress, depression, and anxiety (Ladd et al, 2018). An empirical study also found that preference for solitude could predict psychological maladjustment through peer difficulties among Chinese children (Bullock et al, 2020). Therefore, individuals with high preference for solitude may experience more psychological distress owing to interpersonal difficulties.…”

“…In the context of collectivistic societies, people who intentionally do not engage in social interaction may evoke particularly negative evaluations and feedback from peers and society (Ding et al, 2015). Individuals with high preference for solitude may internalize both society's and their peers' negative views of unsociability and develop negative self-perceptions (Liu et al, 2014) and lower sense of self-worth (Bullock et al, 2020), which in turn causes psychological distress (ØStefjells et al, 2017). Thus, psychological distress may be induced by negative social evaluation resulting from preference for solitude.…”

Longitudinal Associations Between Depressive Symptoms and Preference for Solitude Among Chinese Early Adolescents: Separating Between-Person from Within-Person Effects

“…Previous studies showed positive relations between depressive symptoms and PFS in both West (e.g., Barstead et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2013) and China (e.g., Bullock et al, 2020;Liu et al, 2017;Wang, 2016). Most of the research was conducted under the premise that aspects of maladaptive peer relationships, such as PFS, were a precipitant, rather than a consequence, of depression (e.g., Chen et al, 2011;Liu et al, 2014;Wang, 2016).…”