Shy and still struggling: Examining the relations between subtypes of social withdrawal and well‐being in the 30s

Abstract

There is growing evidence that motivations reflecting social withdrawal are linked to various correlates and outcomes in childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. However, little work has examined the subtypes of withdrawn motivations in early adulthood. Hence, the purpose of this study was to compare shy, avoidant, unsocial, mixed‐withdrawn, and non‐withdrawn men and women in early adulthood on indices of well‐being. This study drew on a large, representative U.S. sample of 5,000 participants (2,930 female) ages 30–35 (Mage = 32.50, SD = 1.70). Findings reveal that shy, avoidant, and mixed‐withdrawal individuals experience more negative outcomes (e.g., receiving less education) and lower well‐being (e.g., lower life satisfaction, more internalizing problems, and regret) in early adulthood.

Motivations for social withdrawal and academic adjustment in emerging adulthood

“…Research on avoidance is in its infancy. Of the few studies examining the psychosocial outcomes of avoidance to date, all concluded that avoidance is costly throughout development (Closson et al, 2019; Coplan et al, 2018; Nelson, 2013; Nelson et al, 2021). It should be noted that females in this study were more test anxious than males.…”

“…Coupled with low academic motivation, shyness may place emerging adults at risk for dropping out of university. Indeed, recent evidence indicates that shy adults are less educated and experience more regret surrounding their education and career than their unsociable and non-withdrawn counterparts (Nelson et al, 2021). Accordingly, strategies devised towards enhancing academic motivation through mentorship may have implications for university students high in shyness.…”

“…Despite research demonstrating psychosocial problems of shyness and avoidance in emerging adulthood (Closson et al, 2019; Nelson, 2013), studies have yet to consider whether social withdrawal motivations are implicated in university adjustment. During the transition from high school to university, emerging adults face challenges related to successful integration into new social environments, such as classrooms and residences (Nelson et al, 2021; Sevinc & Gizir, 2014). Making friends, demonstrating autonomy and being evaluated by others become routine (Brook & Willoughby, 2015).…”

Social Withdrawal and Romantic Relationships: A Longitudinal Study in Early Adulthood

“…Postponing romantic involvement to older ages than their more sociable counterparts might even be adaptive for withdrawn individuals. Having more time before focusing on “settling down” with a romantic partner could provide the opportunity to develop in other domains in which withdrawn young adults are also delayed, such as identity development (Barry et al, 2013 ), selecting educational and career paths (Hamer & Bruch, 1997 ), reaching higher levels of education and income (Nelson et al, 2020 ; Schmidt et al, 2017 ), maximizing person-environment fit (Shulman & Connolly, 2013 ), and developing interpersonal skills in other social relationships (e.g. friends, classmates, colleagues).…”

The Relationship Between Social Support And Social Withdrawal Of Left-Behind Adolescents: A Chain Mediating Model

“…Left-behind adolescents are unable to experience positive interpersonal interactions from their parent-child relationships, because their parents provide less companionship and have di culty providing the security and social resources they need to develop freely. Therefore, left-behind adolescents have incompletely developed social ability and social adaptation (Barzeva et al, 2019;Bowker et al, 2014;Nelson et al, 2020), and it's hard for them to initiate friendships with peers. However, this study found that social support negatively predicted social withdrawal, similar to past research (Nonaka & Sakai, 2021).…”