Assessment and implications of social withdrawal in early childhood: A first look at social avoidance

Understanding longitudinal associations between problematic peer relations and psychopathology is needed to inform public health. Three models have been proposed: Poor peer relations (a) lead or are a risk factor for psychopathology, (b) lag or are a consequence of psychopathology, or (c) both lead and lag psychopathology. Another model is that poor peer relations lead or lag psychopathology depending on the developmental period. To test these models, youths’ peer relations and clinical symptoms were assessed up to six times between ages 3 and 11 in 306 children. Bivariate latent-change-score models tested leading and lagging longitudinal relationships between children’s peer relations (peer victimization/rejection, peer-directed aggression, social withdrawal, prosocial behavior) and psychopathology (depression, anxiety, and externalizing symptoms). Peer victimization/rejection was a leading indicator of depression from early childhood into preadolescence. Peer-directed aggression was a leading indicator of externalizing symptoms (in late childhood).

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Gelotophobia: The fear of being laughed at

Humor - International Journal of Humor Research ◽

10.1515/humr.2009.002 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 22 (1-2) ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Michael Titze

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Social Withdrawal ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Repeated Exposure ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Health Journal

AbstractGelotophobia may be considered as a specific variant of shame-bound anxiety. It is defined as the pathological fear of being an object of laughter. This fear can be traced back to early childhood experiences of intense and repeated exposure to “put-down,” mockery and ridicule in the course of socialization. Gelotophobes constantly fear being screened by others for evidence of ridiculousness. Thus, they carefully avoid situations in which they feel exposed to others. Gelotophobia at its extreme, therefore, involves a pronounced paranoid tendency, a marked sensitivity to offense, and a resulting social withdrawal (Titze, Die heilende Kraft des Lachens, 1995, Humor & Health Journal 5:1–11, 1996). The origins and consequences of gelotophobia are described, and a model of specific treatment is presented.

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Assessment and Implications of Social Avoidance in Chinese Early Adolescents

The Journal of Early Adolescence ◽

10.1177/0272431616678988 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 554-573 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Biao Sang ◽

Xuechen Ding ◽

Robert J. Coplan ◽

Junsheng Liu ◽

Tingting Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cultural Context ◽

Emotion Dysregulation ◽

Social Withdrawal ◽

Mainland China ◽

Early Adolescents ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Self Report ◽

Social Avoidance ◽

Republic Of China ◽

Peer Nominations

The goals of the present study were to (a) develop and validate a new self-report measure of social avoidance for use among early adolescents in mainland China and (b) explore the links between subtypes of social withdrawal (i.e., shyness, unsociability, and social avoidance) and indices of socio-emotional difficulties in this cultural context. Participants were 663 early adolescents (350 boys, 313 girls) attending elementary schools ([Formula: see text] = 10.25 years) and middle schools ([Formula: see text] = 12.53 years) in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Measures of social withdrawal subtypes and adjustment were collected using multi-source assessments, including self-reports, peer nominations, and teacher ratings. The results provided evidence in support of the reliability and validity of the new scale of self-reported social avoidance. Shyness, unsociability, and social avoidance were also all uniquely associated with emotion dysregulation and self-reported internalizing problems. However, only social avoidance was uniquely associated with teacher-rated emotion symptoms and peer problems (as rated by both peers and teachers). Results are discussed in terms of the reasons why social avoidance may have particularly negative implications for early adolescents in China.

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Relations between Chinese mothers' parenting practices and social withdrawal in early childhood

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025406066761 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 261-271 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Larry J. Nelson ◽

Craig H. Hart ◽

Bo Wu ◽

Chongming Yang ◽

Susanne Olsen Roper ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Parenting Practices ◽

Social Withdrawal ◽

Peer Rejection ◽

Mainland China ◽

Preschool Age ◽

Self Report ◽

Passive Behavior ◽

Preschool Age Children

Researchers have identified specific parenting practices used by parents of preschoolers in mainland China (e.g., physical coercion, overprotection, shaming, directiveness, encouragement of modesty). Some of the intrusive practices have been linked to social withdrawal in western societies (e.g., United States, Canada). It seemed important to examine these associations in China because recent research suggests that young Chinese children who exhibit wariness in peer settings may be at risk for negative outcomes such as peer rejection. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relation between Chinese parenting practices and preschoolers' social withdrawal. Mothers of preschool-age children from mainland China ( N = 446) completed self-report parenting questionnaires. Teachers rated children's reticent, solitary-passive, solitary-active, and modest behaviors. Results showed that (a) maternal directiveness was positively associated with reticent behavior in girls and negatively associated with solitary-passive behavior in boys, (b) maternal overprotection, for girls, was positively related to both reticent behavior and solitary-passive behavior, and negatively related to modest behavior, (c) coercion was positively associated with solitary-active and reticent behavior in girls, and (d) shaming was positively related to all forms of withdrawn behaviors in boys and girls, as well as positively related to modest behavior in boys.

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Perceptions of Portuguese psychologists about behavioural inhibition/social withdrawal and their related intervention needs during early childhood

Psicologia ◽

10.17575/psicologia.v34i1.1434 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 147-161

Author(s):

Maryse Guedes ◽

Leandra Coelho ◽

António J. Santos ◽

Manuela Veríssimo

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Behavioral Inhibition ◽

Social Withdrawal ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Participation Rates ◽

Problem Recognition ◽

Behavioural Inhibition ◽

The Social ◽

Interview Guide ◽

High Prevalence

Given the high prevalence of anxiety disorders, there has been an increasing need to intervene on the early risk factors for their development, namely behavioral inhibition and social withdrawal (BI/SW) during early childhood. However, the participation rates in preventive evidence-based interventions targeted at BI/SW have been modest, due to the gaps in parents’ and key gatekeepers’ (teachers and pediatricians) problem recognition. Given their pivotal role in enhancing problem recognition, this study aimed to explore the perceptions of Portuguese psychologists about BI/SW and their related intervention needs. Eighteen psychologists were distributed into three focus groups. Each focus group was moderated by a trained researcher, using a semi-structured interview guide. The thematic analysis revealed that Portuguese psychologists identified the manifestations and consequences of BI/SW, particularly in the social domain. Portuguese psychologists recommended the development of multi-component family interventions and interventions targeted at preschool teachers to promote social skills in the classroom.

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