Laura L. Ooi

Naturalistic Observations of Schoolyard Social Participation: Marker Variables for Socio-Emotional Functioning in Early Adolescence.

The goal of this study was to examine links between observed social participation in the schoolyard and indices of socio-emotional functioning in early adolescence. Participants were children (N = 290) aged 9 to 12 years. Social participation (e.g., solitary play, dyadic interaction, group interaction) was assessed in the schoolyard during recess and lunch using behavioral observations. Measures of perceptions of peer difficulties (e.g., perceived peer relations, loneliness) and internalizing problems (e.g., social anxiety, depression) were provided via maternal ratings and child self-reports. Results from cluster analyses revealed several subgroups of children characterized by distinct patterns of social participation. The groups also differed in terms of their socio-emotional functioning. For example, nonsocial children (who displayed the most frequent solitary activities) reported the highest levels of internalizing problems and more peer difficulties. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of observed social participation behaviors as marker variables for socio-emotional difficulties in early adolescence.

Examining the Implications of Social Anxiety in a Community Sample of Mainland Chinese Children.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the implications of social anxiety symptoms in a community sample of elementary school children in mainland China. METHOD Participants were N = 576 children (309 boys, 267 girls; mean age = 11.52 years, standard deviation = 1.21) attending public elementary schools in Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. Multisource assessments included child self-reports, teacher ratings, and school records. RESULTS Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the previously established 3-factor solution for the Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised. Social anxiety symptoms were associated with indices of internalizing problems, peer difficulties, and poorer school adjustment. CONCLUSION Results are discussed in terms of the implications of social avoidance as a particularly maladaptive component of social anxiety in the collectivistic society of China.

Maternal Agreeableness Moderates Associations Between Young Children's Emotion Dysregulation and Socioemotional Functioning at School

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to explore associations among maternal agreeableness, child temperament (i.e., emotion dysregulation), and childrens social adjustment at school. Participants were 146 children in kindergarten and Grade 1 (76 girls; Mage = 67.78 months, SD = 10.81 months). Mothers provided ratings of their own agreeableness and their childs temperament, and teachers assessed indices of childrens socioemotional functioning at school. Among the results, maternal agreeableness moderated associations between child dysregulation and aspects of adjustment at school. Specifically, at higher levels of maternal agreeableness, the relations between child dysregulation and both anxiety with peers and their prosocial behavior were attenuated. Overall, the results suggest that maternal agreeableness may serve as a protective factor for dysregulated children. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Cognitive Biases and the Link Between Shyness and Social Anxiety in Early Adolescence

Shy children display wariness in unfamiliar social situations and often experience feelings of social anxiety. This study explored the potential mediating role of cognitive biases in the link between shyness and social anxiety in early adolescence. In particular, we focused on judgments of the probability and cost of negative social situations (i.e., judgment biases). Six hundred eighty-six early adolescents aged 10 to 14 years ( X ¯ = 11.58, SD = 1.13) completed measures of shyness, judgment biases, and social anxiety. Among the results, shyness, judgment biases, and social anxiety were positively interassociated. Shyness and judgment biases significantly predicted social anxiety. Moreover, elevated judgments of both the probability and cost of negative social situations partially mediated the relation between shyness and social anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of the conceptual pathway from shyness to social anxiety, as well as implications for intervention programs.