YOUNG CHILDREN’S BELIEFS ABOUT SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL: Comparing attributions toward shyness and unsociability in different social contexts

CASTILLO, KAREN; ISON, MIRTA SUSANA; GRECO, CAROLINA

Rhodas

Congreso; 26th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD); 2022

International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD)

Persistent self-isolation from others is known as social withdrawal (Rubin Chronis Tuscano 2021 and it may result from a variety of causes, including social fear and anxiety (or a non-fearful preference for solitude (unsociability)(Rubin et al 2009. From early childhood through to adolescence, socially withdrawn children are at risk for a wide range of negative adjustment outcomes (Rubin & Chronis Tuscano, 2021). Most of these consequences have been linked to features of the sociocultural contexts and peers’ beliefs about these behaviours (Chen, 2020; Chen Liu, 2021; Coplan et al., 2012). However, there is limited research about these behaviours in South American countries Even lesser studies have specifically explored social withdrawal subtypes in children from different socio-cultural contexts, such as urban, urban marginalized, and rural. Objective: Compare Argentinean young children’s perceptions and attributions toward shyness and unsociability in different social contexts. Participants: 221 young children attending public kindergartens in Mendoza, Argentina. Instrument: Child interview with vignettes (Coplan , Girardi , Findlay, & Frohlick , 2007). During individual interviews, children were presented with a series of vignettes in a cartoon picture depicting hypothetical same sex peers displaying shy and unsociable behaviours. Each vignette was accompanied by questions that assessed children’s attributions about Intentionality, Social Motivation; Affiliative Preferences, Social Status, Negative Impact, Sympathy. Results: Children characterized the behavior of the hypothetical unsociable peer as being more intentional and as reflecting lower social approach motivations compared to the shy peer in the three contexts Mean children’s attributions scores by context. Conclusions: This study is among the first to evaluate South American young children’s understanding of social withdrawal including different local contexts. Results may support the hypothesis that each context places different values on children’s social competence which affect the interpretation and evaluation of specific behavioural aspects including social withdrawal. It will be interesting for future local studies to evaluate how peers’ attributions towards shy and unsociable behaviors affect the social-emotional development in each context.