A Study On The Developmental Trajectory Of Shyness In Preschool Children And The Impact Mechanism Of Shy Social Adaptation

Shyness is a temperamental trait characterized by heightened social anxiety and self-consciousness in situations of social novelty and perceived social evaluation.Shy children are thought to experience an approach-avoidance conflict,whereby their desires to socially engage are simultaneously impeded by social fear and wariness.Many studies on shy children in Western cultures and China suggested that shy children was at risk for negative social adjustment,but the study of shyness on Chinese preschoolers was still unexplored,for example,previous study focus on older children,and lack of longitudinal study as well as the exploration of the mechanism between shyness and social adjustment.Therefore,to strengthen the research for the shyness on preschool children has important theoretical significance not only for the theory of shyness,but also could provide useful reference for shy children's intervention.Aiming at the shortcomings of the previous study,the present study put forward dual research idea,that is,on one hand,on the basis of the trajectories of shyness,we would explore the prediction from child characteristics,parent-child relationships,peer relationships,as well as the teacher-child relationships on shyness trajectories.On the other hand,we would explore the child characteristics,parent-child relationships,peer relationships,family functioning,as well as the teacher-child relationships on the relation between shyness and social adjustment.Based on the above ideas,the present study mainly focus on three aspects:Firstly,the present study would explore the trajectories of shyness on Chinese preschool children The present study would explore the prediction of child characteristics(i.e.,language skills,emotion knowledge,problem-solving skills,and prosocial behavior),parent-child attachment(i.e.,secure attachment,ambivalent and avoidant attachment),peer relationships(peer acceptance and peer rejection),as well as teacher-child relationship(i.e.,conflict,dependence)on the trajectories of shyness.Secondly,the present study would explore the child characteristics(i.e.,language skills,emotion knowledge),parent-child attachment(i.e.,secure attachment,ambivalent and avoidant attachment),peer relationships(peer rejection),family functioning(i.e.,communication,affective responsiveness,affective involvement,general functioning)as well as teacher-child relationship(i.e.,conflict,dependence)on the relation between shyness and social adjustment.The results indicates that;1.The shyness of preschool children followed by linear change.The average of shy total score decreased by 0.07 per half year,which was significantly greater than0(p<0.001).The intercept variation(?~2=0.42,p<0.001)and the variation of the slope(?~2=0.01,p<0.05)are greater than zero,showing that the initial level and speed of change children's shyness displays significant individual differences.The results further indicates prosocial have negative prediction on shyness of intercept(B=-28,p<.001);ambavilent parent-child attachment positively predicts initial levels(B=1.20,p<.001)and negatively predict slope of shyness growth(B=-.17,p<.001);Avoidant attachment negatively predicts the initial level of shyness(B=-.372,p<.05).Peer acceptance negatively predict the initial level of shyness(B=-.22,p<.001),and positively predicts of the slope of shyness growth(B=.03,p<.05).Peer acceptance negatively predicts the initial level of shyness(B=-.04,p<.01);Conflictural teacher-child relationship negatively predicts the intercept of shyness growth(B=-.03,p<.001).2.Children's expressive language ability plays a moderating role on shyness and internalization problems,peer rejection;and receptive language ability plays a moderating role between shyness and internalizing problems.The ability of children's emotion recognition plays a moderating role between shyness and social phobia,verbal assertion,and children's perspective-taking ability plays a moderating role between shyness and asocial with peers and peer rejection.The study on maternal personality indicates that the extroverted personality of mother plays a moderating role between shyness and child sociability,learning problems and peer rejection.Study on parent-child attachment study indicates that secure mother-child attachment plays a moderating role between shyness and child socialibility,ambivalent parent-child relationship plays a moderating role between shyness and sociability,learning problems and social competence,avoidant mother-child relationship plays a moderating role between shyness and child sociability,learning problems,social competence as well as anxiety-withdrawal.Study on mother parenting style indicates that overprotective parenting plays a moderating role between shyness and child internalizing problems;authoritarian parenting plays a moderating role between shyness and generalized anxiety;authoritative parenting plays a moderating role between shyness and child sociability and verbal assertion.Study on family functioning indicats that communication plays a moderating role between shyness and peer problems;emotional reaction plays a moderating role between shyness and children's peer problems and emotional symptoms;emotion involment plays a moderating role between shyness and social competence;the general family functioning plays a moderating role between shyness and child peer problems and social competence.Study on peer relaionships indicats that peer rejection plays a moderating role between shyness and child learning problems and asocial with peers.Study on teacher-child relationship indicates that conflictual teacher-child relationship plays a moderating role between shyness and child interpersonal skills,verbal assertion,internalizing problems,asocial with peers and peer rejection;dependent teacher-child relationship plays a moderating role between shyness and child asocial with peers.The present study obtained the following conclusions:1.The trajectories of shyness displays decreasing during the four times'2-year longitudinal study.Child prosocial behavior has negative predication on the trajectories of shyness'intercept;ambivalent and avoidant parent-child attachment has positive predication on the trajectories of shyness'intercept,and avoidant parent-child attachment has positive predication on the trajectories of shyness'slope;peer rejection has positive predication on the trajectories of shyness'intercept;close and conflictual teacher-child relationship has positive prediction on the trajectories of shyness'intercept.2.Children's receptive language skills and expressive language skills,child emotion knowledge,maternal extraversion personality,secure parent-child attachment,authoritative parenting,family functioning(i.e.,higher levers of communication,affective responsiveness,affective involvement,general functioning),as well as close teacher-child relationship could attenuate the negative adjustment of shy children,whereas insecure attachment(i.e.,ambivalent and avoidant parent-child relationship),authoritarian parenting and overprotective parenting,peer rejection,as well as conflictual and dependent teacher-child relationship could exacerbated the negative adjustment of shy children.