Relations over Time among Children's Shyness, Emotionality, and Internalizing Problems

Abstract

Data regarding children's shyness and emotionality were collected at three time points, two years apart (T1: N = 214, M = 6.12 years; T2: N = 185, M = 7.67 years; T3: N = 185, M = 9.70 years), and internalizing data were collected at T1 and T3. Relations among parent-rated shyness, emotionality (parent- and teacher-rated anger, sadness, and positive emotional intensity [EI]), and mother-rated internalizing were examined in panel models. In some cases, shyness predicted emotionality two years later (teacher-rated anger, parent-rated sadness, teacher-rated positive EI) and emotionality sometimes predicted shyness two years later (teacher-rated sadness, parent-rated positive EI, teacher-rated positive EI). Parent-rated shyness and/or emotionality (parent-rated anger and parent-rated sadness) predicted internalizing at T3. Results shed light on developmental relations between emotionality and shyness, as well as processes of risk for, or protection against, the development of internalizing problems.

Distinguishing types of social withdrawal in children: Internalizing and externalizing outcomes of conflicted shyness versus social disinterest across childhood

“…This result suggests that conflicted shyness may be a risk factor for externalizing problems in boys specifically during middle to late childhood, but not from early to middle childhood. However, this stands in contrast to other studies that have found non-significant or negative relationships between shyness and externalizing symptoms (e.g., Eggum et al, 2012; Coplan et al, 2004; Coplan & Weeks, 2010), one of which also found no gender differences in effects (Eggum et al, 2012). The relationship between social withdrawal and externalizing outcomes in boys versus girls should continue to be explored in future research.…”

“…For instance, Eggum et al (2012) found that, adjusting for baseline levels of symptoms, conflicted shyness was related to increases in internalizing symptoms over 2 years, while Karevold et al (2012), although they did not use the CSPS, found that increases in shyness from age 2.5 years to 12.5 years was associated with increases in depression and anxiety symptoms over that interval.…”

“…The majority of this literature has found either small but negative or non-significant associations between social withdrawal as a unitary construct, conflicted shyness, social disinterest, or similar constructs, and externalizing outcomes, however the results vary somewhat across studies. For instance, Eggum et al (2012) reported that parent-rated shyness was associated with decreases over time in teacher- but not parent-rated aggression, and Coplan et al (2004) found that higher levels of conflicted shyness were related to lower levels of aggression, but disinterest was unrelated. Coplan and Weeks (2009), however, found no differences in externalizing behaviour among children who were classified as shy, unsociable, or neither, based on the CSPS and several other sources.…”

“…In addition, while the literature examining both types of social withdrawal and externalizing symptoms has found largely non-significant relationships, several limitations affect the conclusions to be drawn from these studies (e.g., Coplan & Weeks, 2010; Eggum et al, 2012; Liu et al, 2014). …”

Observed emotion frequency versus intensity as predictors of socioemotional maladjustment.

“…Furthermore, internalizing symptoms (with stronger effects for depression) have been characterized by an absence of self-reported positive affect (Clark & Watson, 1991; Lonigan, Phillips, & Hooe, 2003). To date, the research literature indicates that the associations of positive emotionality (usually undifferentiated in regard to intensity vs. frequency) to children’s internalizing or externalizing difficulties in nonclinical samples are typically nonsignificant (Eggum et al, 2012; Ghassabian et al, 2014; Kim et al, 2007) or negative (Dougherty, Klein, Durbin, Hayden, & Olino, 2010; Ghassabian et al, 2014; Kim et al, 2007; Stifter, Putnam, & Jahromi, 2008), but occasionally positive (when positive emotionality was characterized by exuberance; Putnam, 2012). Positive emotion also likely contributes to positive social interactions and competence (Jones, Eisenberg, Fabes, & MacKinnon, 2002; Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005).…”