Effects of shyness and friendship on socioemotional adjustment during the college transition

Abstract

This study identified (a) friendship changes during the first year of college, and how this change is affected by shyness, and (b) how shyness and friendship individually and in combination affect socioemotional well‐being. In Fall and Spring, first‐year college students reported on shyness, friendship quality and stability, internalizing symptoms, loneliness, and life satisfaction. There was substantial stability in friendships, particularly among shy students. A Person × Interpersonal Environment Interaction predicted socioemotional well‐being. Shy students with high‐quality versus low‐quality friendships reported lower internalizing symptoms. Although shyness was associated with increased loneliness and decreased life satisfaction, high‐quality friendships showed modest evidence of moderating these relationships. Many students maintained precollege friendships, but high‐quality friendships were particularly beneficial for shy students.

College Students’ Belonging and Loneliness in the Context of Remote Online Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Good social support from friends has been identified as a protective factor (Gierveld, 1998;Lee & Goldstein, 2016). For example, shy college students with high-quality friendships are less lonely than shy students with low-quality friendships (Shell & Absher, 2019). Further, Samuolis and Griffin (2014) found students struggling with their identities, specifically in the areas of friendship, long-term goals, and career choice, are particularly lonely.…”

Rejection sensitivity and mental well‐being: The positive role of friendship quality

“…During the transitional time of emerging adulthood, shy individuals with higher quality friendships show increased life satisfaction compared to those with lower quality friendships (Shell & Absher, 2019). Both individuals with shyness and with RS are similar in that they intend to bond but fear rejection and perform avoidant behaviors in their relationships (Asendorpf, 1990; Downey & Feldman, 1996).…”

The emotions behind character friendship: From other‐oriented emotions to the ‘bonding feeling’

“…Scales that measure friendship and include emotional dimensions among their variables, thus highlighting the affective content of this relationship (Mendelson & Aboud, 2014;Parker & Asher, 1993;Sharabany, 1994) 3. The connection between friendship and socioemotional skills (Bukowski et al, 2018;Miller-Slough & Dunsmore, 2016;Shell & Absher, 2019;Von Salisch et al, 2014) 4. Friendship as tied to other emotional-cognitive variables, such as empathy (Meuwese et al, 2017), rumination (Borowski & Zeman, 2018) and self-esteem (Shimizu et al, 2019) 5.…”

“… Articles focused on studying friendship as an emotion in itself. These include works that present it directly from this perspective (Berenskoetter & van Hoef, 2017; Holmes & Greco, 2011), as well as those that refer to the emotional closeness it provides (Binder, 2018) Scales that measure friendship and include emotional dimensions among their variables, thus highlighting the affective content of this relationship (Mendelson & Aboud, 2014; Parker & Asher, 1993; Sharabany, 1994) The connection between friendship and socioemotional skills (Bukowski et al., 2018; Miller‐Slough & Dunsmore, 2016; Shell & Absher, 2019; Von Salisch et al., 2014) Friendship as tied to other emotional‐cognitive variables, such as empathy (Meuwese et al., 2017), rumination (Borowski & Zeman, 2018) and self‐esteem (Shimizu et al., 2019) Friendship as a form of mutual knowledge in an emotional key (Morris et al., 2016; Zhang & Parmley, 2015) Friendship as a space for sharing emotions (Legerski et al., 2015; Rebughini, 2011), and how conversation contributes to emotional regulation (Wagner et al., 2015) Publications indicating that this relationship produces emotions of a varying nature. Among others, positive emotions such as admiration, love, trust and hope (Hoyos‐Valdés, 2018); negative ones such as anger, envy, competition and guilt (Andrew & Montague, 1998; Orbach & Eichenbaum, 1994); and moral ones, such as respect, compassion, forgiveness, sympathy and concern (Blum, 2010) …”

“…The connection between friendship and socioemotional skills (Bukowski et al., 2018; Miller‐Slough & Dunsmore, 2016; Shell & Absher, 2019; Von Salisch et al., 2014)…”