TEMPERAMENTAL SHYNESS, EFFORTFUL CONTROL, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT IN CHINESE CHILDREN

Abstract

Shyness in children has been shown to be associated with a variety of psychosocial adjustment outcomes in Western populations, including elevated internalizing symptoms and relatively low social competence. The current study focused on temperamental shyness, psychosocial adjustment, and effortful control in China, a non-Western context where cultural norms and societal expectations may vary with regard to these constructs. Teachers completed questionnaires about 204 Chinese children’s temperamental shyness, effortful control, and psychosocial adjustment at the start of preschool and from ages three to six years. Linear mixed modeling was used to examine the trajectories of temperamental shyness, effortful control, and psychosocial adjustment from age three to six. Results of this study indicated that 1) temperamental shyness tended to decrease linearly over time, 2) temperamental shyness was associated with increased anxious/fearful behaviors and lower prosocial behaviors, and 3) there was a significant interaction between temperamental shyness and inhibitory control to predict peer exclusion. The findings of this study help explain cultural differences in temperamental shyness, effortful control, and psychosocial adjustment, specifically within the Chinese culture.