1. LONGITUDINAL OUTCOMES OF SHYNESS FROM
CHILDHOOD TO EMERGING ADULTHOOD
Jim Grose & Robert Coplan, Department of Psychology, Carleton University
METHOD
Participants
Archival data from the National Longitudinal Survey of
Children and Youth (NLSCY), a large-scale Canadian
population-based longitudinal sample, was analyzed. Data was
collected every two years from each child and the person most
knowledgeable (PMK) about the child, usually the mother. The
initial sample size in Cycle 1 was n=3514 (51.3% male).
Sample size decreased to 41% of the original between Cycle 1
and Cycle 7, due to attrition and refusal.
The population of interest for this study was Canadian children
aged 8-9 in 1994/95 (NLSCY cycle 1). Data was extracted from
Cycle 1 for the Time 1 predictor and control variables, and Cycle
7 (ages 20-21) for the Time 2 outcome variables. All
calculations were performed using weighted values
representative of the Canadian population of children in Cycle 1.
At ages 8-9 years, shyness was significantly and positively related
to anxiety (r = .13, p < .001) and significantly and negatively related
to prosocial behaviour (r = -.15, p < .001). Exploring links between
shyness at ages 8-9 years and indices of socio-emotional functioning
12 years later, we found:
• Lower interpersonal adjustment was predicted by gender (with
boys less well interpersonally adjusted than girls), being
somewhat shy, and being of lower SES. Those boys who were
about average tended to have lower interpersonal adjustment
than those who were very outgoing. (Table 1).
• Lower intrapersonal adjustment was predicted for children who
were somewhat shy or about average. Those boys who were
about average tended to have higher intrapersonal adjustment
than those who were outgoing (Table 2).
REFERENCES
1.Coplan, R.J., Prakash, K., O’Neil, K., & Armer, M. (2004).Do you
“want” to play? distinguishing between conflicted shyness and
social disinterest in early childhood. Developmental Psychology,
40 (2), 244-258.
2.Rubin, K., Coplan, R., & Bowker, J. (2009). Social withdrawal in
childhood. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 141–171.
3.Holder, M. & Klassen, A. (2010). Temperament and happiness in
children. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11(4), 419-439.
DISCUSSION
First, we validated a parent-reported ordinal variable as a measure
of child shyness at ages 8-9 years by comparing it to measures of
anxiety and prosocial behavior. Our findings suggest that a single
item parent response may be sufficient to assess shyness in the
child at ages 8-9 years.
Gender and being somewhat shy did not interact in predicting
interpersonal adjustment, contrary to our expectation. However
gender interacted with being about average in boys, predicting lower
interpersonal but higher intrapersonal adjustments.
Our key finding was that a single item measurement of parent-
rated shyness in the child can at least partially predict composite
measures of socio-emotional functioning in emerging adulthood, and
that these predicted outcomes were measured a full 12 years later.
Earlier detection and treatment of childhood social inhibition and
especially its negative correlates, such as sub-clinical levels of
anxiety, could produce positive long-term benefits.
INTRODUCTION
Shyness is a temperamental trait that refers to wariness,
unease, and self-consciousness or embarrassment in novel social
situations and instances of perceived social evaluation1,2.
Shyness in children is concurrently and predictively associated
with internalizing problems such as anxiety 3. However, in only a
handful of previous studies have researchers explored the long-
term implications of childhood shyness among adults.
The goals of this study were to: (1) validate a parent-reported
ordinal variable as a measure of child shyness at ages 8-9 years;
and (2) explore links between shyness at ages 8-9 years and
indices of socio-emotional functioning 12 years later in emerging
adulthood (ages 20-21 years).
It was expected that higher childhood shyness would predict
lower interpersonal (empathy and social skills in dealing with
others) and intrapersonal (examination and knowledge of one’s
own feelings) adjustment in emerging adulthood. It was also
expected that although shyness would be equally likely among
boys and girls at ages 8-9 years, the outcomes at ages 20-21
years would differ by gender, with shy boys more likely to
experience interpersonal adjustment problems in emerging
adulthood.
Measures
• Gender
• Socio-economic status (SES), based on the education and occupation
of the PMK and spouse, as well as the household income
PMK responses at child age 8/9 years:
• Child’s shyness in making new friends on a 3-point Likert scale
• Very outgoing (reference group)
• About average
• Somewhat shy
• Child’s anxiety on a scale with values from 0 to 16
• Child’s prosocial on a scale with values from 0 to 20
Participant responses at ages 20/21
• Interpersonal adjustment with values from 0 to 16
• Intrapersonal adjustment with values from 0 to 16
RESULTS
Table 1. Standardized linear regression coefficients for predictors
at ages 8-9 of positive interpersonal adjustment at ages 20-21
Beta Adj R2
Step 1------------------- .00
SES .183*
Step 2------------------- .05
About average -.167
Somewhat shy -.376*
Gender (0 F, 1 M) -.987***
Step 3------------------- .06
About average x Gender -.880**
Somewhat Shy x Gender -.169
p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
Table 2. Standardized linear regression coefficients for predictors
at ages 8-9 of positive intrapersonal adjustment at ages 20-21
Beta Adj R2
Step 1------------------- -.00
SES .004
Step 2------------------- .01
About average -.554**
Somewhat shy -.792***
Gender (0 F, 1 M) .297
Step 3-------------------
About average x Gender 1.276*** .02
Somewhat Shy x Gender .797
* p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001