Trajectories of Social Withdrawal from Middle Childhood to Early Adolescence

Abstract

Heterogeneity and individual differences in the developmental course of social withdrawal were examined longitudinally in a community sample (N=392). General Growth Mixture Modeling (GGMM) was used to identify distinct pathways of social withdrawal, differentiate valid subgroup trajectories, and examine factors that predicted change in trajectories within subgroups. Assessments of individual (social withdrawal), interactive (prosocial behavior), relationship (friendship involvement, stability and quality, best friend's withdrawal and exclusion/ victimization) and group-(exclusion/victimization) level characteristics were used to define growth trajectories from the final year of elementary school, across the transition to middle school, and then to the final year of middle school (fifth-to-eighth grades). Three distinct trajectory classes were identified: low stable, increasing, and decreasing. Peer exclusion, prosocial behavior, and mutual friendship involvement differentiated class membership. Friendlessness, friendship instability, and exclusion were significant predictors of social withdrawal for the increasing class, whereas lower levels of peer exclusion predicted a decrease in social withdrawal for the decreasing class. KeywordsSocial withdrawal; Developmental trajectories; Friendship; Exclusion The study of developmental psychopathology has characterized maladjustment as comprising two broad forms of difficulties-undercontrol (e.g., aggression) and overcontrol

Análise fatorial confirmatória do modelo do Questionário da Qualidade da Amizade numa amostra de jovens adolescentes Portuguesa

“…ex., Oh et al, 2008;Rose, 2002;Sebanc, 2003) e culturas, como os EUA, China, Indonésia, ou Islândia (p. ex., French, Bae, Pidada, & Lee, 2006;Kingery, Erdley, & Marshall, 2011;Svavarsdottir & Orlygsdottir, 2006;Zongkui, Dongmei, Xiaojun, & Xianfeng, 2006).…”

Social Withdrawal in Childhood

“…Relatedly, it is also well known that socially withdrawn children are actively disliked by their peers (Boivin et al 1995, Gazelle & Ladd 2003, Hart et al 2000, Ladd 2006, Oh et al 2008, Ollendick et al 1990. In fact, social withdrawal is one of the strongest correlates and consequences of peer rejection during middle childhood and adolescence (e.g., Deater-Deckard 2001, Newcomb et al 1993).…”

“…And Rubin et al (2006d) found that withdrawn young adolescents rated their best friendships as lacking in helpfulness, guidance, and intimate disclosure; the best friends of these withdrawn young adolescents rated their friendships as involving less fun and help and guidance than did the best friends of nonwithdrawn young adolescents. Importantly, the extent to which group and dyadic relationship factors conspire to maintain or alter the developmental trajectories of social withdrawal in early adolescence has been examined by Oh et al (2008). These researchers found three distinct growth trajectory classes for social withdrawal from the final year of elementary school (fifth grade), across the transition to middle school (sixth grade), and then to the final year of middle school (eighth grade): a low stable, an increasing, and a decreasing class.…”

O retraimento social em adolescentes: um estudo descritivo do seu ajustamento sócio-emocional segundo a perspectiva dos professores

“…Neste caso, o défi ce de interações é o resultado de opções do próprio e pode tomar a designação de retraimento passivo (Rubin & Coplan, 2004). Os jovens retirados socialmente são aqueles que, na maioria das vezes, preferem estar sós (Oh et al, 2008).…”

“…Por outro lado, a literatura sugere que as crianças retiradas socialmente são condescendentes, complacentes com as solicitações dos outros, não assertivas e não directivas quando se aproximam dos seus pares e geralmente bem-comportadas. Com a entrada para a escolaridade, em que quem é dominante parece ser mais popular, estas crianças sossegadas, não assertivas, bem comportadas e até submissas podem não ser vistas como a companhia preferida dos seus pares, fi cando à parte do seu grupo (Oh et al, 2008). Para além das difi culdades de relacionamento com os pares, estas crianças fi cam ainda sujeitas a difi culdades de aceitação pelo grupo de pares.…”