Research based on maternal observations shows that many children acquire their first feeling-state words at around 18-20 months (Bretherton, McNew, & Beeghly-Smith, 1981;Bretherton et al., 1986). Mothers also report that by 28 months, most 132 This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
The present study employed latent growth mixture modeling to discern distinct trajectories of loneliness using data collected at 2‐year intervals from age 7–17 years (N = 586) and examine whether measures taken at age 5 years were good predictors of group membership. Four loneliness trajectory classes were identified: (1) low stable (37% of the sample), (2) moderate decliners (23%), (3) moderate increasers (18%), and (4) relatively high stable (22%). Predictors at age 5 years for the high stable trajectory were low trust beliefs, low trusting, low peer acceptance, parent reported negative reactivity, an internalizing attribution style, low self‐worth, and passivity during observed play. The model also included outcome variables. We found that both the high stable and moderate increasing trajectories were associated with depressive symptoms, a higher frequency of visits to the doctor, and lower perceived general health at age 17. We discuss implications of findings for future empirical work.
Childhood loneliness is characterised by children's perceived dissatisfaction with aspects of their social relationships. This 8-year prospective study investigates whether loneliness in childhood predicts depressive symptoms in adolescence, controlling for early childhood indicators of emotional problems and a sociometric measure of peer social preference. 296 children were tested in the infant years of primary school (T1 5 years of age), in the upper primary school (T2 9 years of age) and in secondary school (T3 13 years of age). At T1, children completed the loneliness assessment and sociometric interview. Their teachers completed externalisation and internalisation rating scales for each child. At T2, children completed a loneliness assessment, a measure of depressive symptoms, and the sociometric interview. At T3, children completed the depressive symptom assessment. An SEM analysis showed that depressive symptoms in early adolescence (age 13) were predicted by reports of depressive symptoms at age 8, which were themselves predicted by internalisation in the infant school (5 years). The interactive effect of loneliness at 5 and 9, indicative of prolonged loneliness in childhood, also predicted depressive symptoms at age 13. Parent and peer-related loneliness at age 5 and 9, peer acceptance variables, and duration of parent loneliness did not predict depression. Our results suggest that enduring peer-related loneliness during childhood constitutes an interpersonal stressor that predisposes children to adolescent depressive symptoms. Possible mediators are discussed
The development of children's use of justification in disputes with their mothers and siblings and its relation to the social and emotional context of family disputes was studied in a longitudinal study of 43 children observed at home at 18,24, and 36 months. By 36 months, children used justifications in about one third of their disputes with both mother and sibling, chiefly in terms of their own feelings, but also in terms of social rules and the material consequences of actions. Children's emotional behavior and use of justification differed according to the topic of dispute: Anger and distress were most often expressed at 18 months, and justification at 36 months was most often given by children in disputes about rights and conventions. Mothers, too, were more likely to justify in disputes over rights, and there was a significant association between child and mother justification. The significance of emotional experience and of family discourse in the development of reasoning about social issues is discussed.Young children are confronted every day by prohibitions and disagreements, and it has been argued that such social conflict may play an important role in the growth of social understanding-that it is, in part, through their disputes with others children begin to appreciate the perceptions of other people and the rules of their world. However, although the ability to use reasoned argument when in conflict with others is a major achievement for young children, we know relatively little about its early development. Research on social conflict has focused chiefly on disputes between children and their peers in middle childhood (e.g., Hartup, 1983;Shantz, 1983), following the proposal that disputes between children and their peers are of special developmental significance. Arguments between children who are of approximately equal status and who share close interests are thought to play a major role in the child's move from egocentrism to a recognition of the perspective of others and of social and moral rules (Piaget, 1965;Sullivan, 1953).It is, however, within the family that children are usually first and most frequently faced with social conflict (Spitz, 1957). The familiarity and intimacy of young children with their parents and their siblings as well as the frequency of interaction suggests that these family relationships might well provide a forum in which reasoned argument and an appreciation of how justifications influence others are fostered. There is, however, little available information on the nature and development of young children's powers of argument in conflict within the family.
The frequency of sharing, helping, comforting and cooperative behaviour shown by young siblings towards one another, their response to the other child's distress, and the relation between this prosocial behaviour and conflict behaviour was studied in 43 2-child families observed at home when the second child was 18 and 24 months old. By 18 months children were capable of sharing/helping/comforting, but apparently rarely motivated to respond in this way; in contrast cooperative behaviour was frequently shown. Conciliation, teasing and cooperative behaviour was more frequently shown by 2-year-olds whose siblings had previously been cooperative, and similarly conciliation and distraction was most frequently shown by older siblings whose younger siblings had shown cooperative behaviour 6 months previously. Sibling constellation variables did not account for individual differences in prosocial behaviour.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.