Helping socially-withdrawn Chinese children: The protective role ofparents

A three-wave longitudinal study will be conducted to examined the social, emotional, and academic implications of shyness and unsociability in Chinese children as well as the potential protective role that authoritative parenting plays. Participants in the initial sample consisted of 1500 grade 3 to 6 students, randomly selected from four primary and junior high schools in Shanghai. Assessment of shyness, unsociability, parenting practices, and adjustment are obtained from multiple sources, including peer nominations, self-reports, parent-reports, teacher-reports, and school records. It is anticipated that shyness and unsociability will be independently and uniquely predictive of Chinese childrenâs adjustment difficulties. Moreover, it is expected that authoritative parenting will serve as a buffer against the negative impact of social withdrawal on childrenâs adjustment. On the other hand, overprotective parenting will exacerbate socially withdrawn childrenâs adjustment problems.

Faculty Supervisor:

Robert J. Coplan

Student:

Amanda Bullock

Partner:

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

University:

Carleton University

Program:

Globalink