abstract: To explore subtypes of social withdrawal in different sociocultural contexts, concurrent social, school, and academic correlates of shyness and unsociability were examined in 93 urban (Mage = 14.05, SD = 0.86 years) and 136 rural (Mage = 14.39, SD = 0.69 years) seventh and eighth graders from Liaoning, China. Adolescents' shyness and unsociability were assessed with self-, peers’, and teachers’ reports. Peer-group relationships (acceptance, rejection, and exclusion) were obtained from peer nominations. Adolescents reported perceived friendship quality (positive friendship quality, conflict and betrayal) and school attitudes (school liking and avoidance). Teachers rated students' academic engagement and performance. Academic achievement (exam grades) also was obtained from school records. According to factor and correlational analyses, shyness and unsociability emerged as distinct, but positively related, constructs, within each informant. Cross-informant agreements on shyness and unsociability were low to moderate, especially between teachers' and self- or peers' reports. Urban-rural differences were expected in the associations of shyness, but not of unsociability, with the correlates, but the hypotheses were not supported with multiple-group (urban vs. rural) path models. In the combined (urban and rural) sample, shyness was associated with negative peer relationships, low friendship quality, and negative school attitudes (for self- but not peer-reported shyness), but was unrelated to academic correlates. Self-reported unsociability related negatively to positive friendship quality and positively to academic achievement, but was unrelated to other adjustment correlates. Peer-reported unsociability, however, was associated with negative peer relationships, less positive friendship quality, low school liking, low academic performance, and low academic achievement. The study was an initial step towards understanding subtypes of social withdrawal and adjustment correlates in various domains among Chinese adolescents living in different social contexts. The lack of urban-rural differences was not consistent with the contextual-development theory. Like their Western peers, shy Chinese adolescents were at risk for relational and school adjustment problems, but they did not have academic difficulties. Unsociable Chinese adolescents also tended to have poor adjustment at school, including relational problems with peers and friends, negative school attitudes, and academic difficulties, but only when they were perceived as unsociable by peers, rather than themselves. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Family and Human Development 2016

Immigration disrupts an individual’s support network; however, the stresses of the immigration process increase the need for social support. The presence of social support becomes essential for immigrant children and adolescents to cope with these important transitional circumstances. Friends are both sources of social support and models for behavior. Furthermore, friendship networks are known to have a significant influence on youths’ functioning. Literature suggests that peer relations become more important in adolescence and friend support is related to child and adolescent well-being. Thus, friend relationships may be particularly important for immigrant youths who experience disruption in their friendship networks during the process of migration to another country. In addition to friendship networks and support, friend characteristics also need to be taken into consideration as important factors for immigrant youth adjustment. My study involved analyses of the effects of friend support and friend problem behaviors on emotional and behavioral functioning for elementary, middle, and high school age newly immigrant children and adolescents. Immigrant children and adolescents (N = 503) were interviewed at schools by interviewers fluent in participants’ languages. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that friend support and friend problem behaviors were related to children’s self-esteem and externalizing behaviors. In addition, friend problem behavior alone predicted children’s psychological symptoms and depression scores. Furthermore, age/grade was found to be a moderator for the relation between friend problem behavior and immigrant youth behavioral adjustment such that compared to elementary and high school cohorts, middle school youths showed more externalizing behaviors when they had friends performing problem behaviors. Results supported the idea that both friend support and friend behavior are related to newly immigrant youths’ emotional and behavioral adjustment. This study informs further research and interventions concerning the development of programs to facilitate immigrant youths’ adjustment by revealing friendship factors related to their adaptation.

A significant proportion of Sweden’s population consists of immigrants and refugees, many of whom are adolescents. Resettlement in a new host culture could be extra challenging during adolescence due to the additional burden that developmental tasks bring to the refugee adolescents’ daily life. One of the most important developmental tasks during adolescence is the development of functional relationships with peers. Previous research on refugee adolescents and peer relationships has often been quantitative and much focus has lied on the pathological outcomes and adversities that this population faces. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how refugee adolescents experienced peer relationships from their point of view, taking in the full spectrum of experiences. Furthermore, this study aimed to highlight the strengths and resilience this population posits. Specifically, the study used qualitative methodology to examine how newly arrived refugee adolescents experienced interpersonal relationships with peers and how they dealt with challenges faced. The sample of the study were 33 newly arrived refugee adolescents (Mage = 14.9, SD = .91; 55% females). Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. Themes of language, quality of relationships, and integration appeared central for refugee adolescents’ experience of peer relationships. Despite the difficulties that this population faced, they showed great capacity in overcoming challenges. The findings indicate that peer relationships are a central part of refugee adolescents' adjustment and well-being, and that there is a strong motivation and capacity to overcome difficulties and create functional relationships among newly arrived refugee adolescents.

Adolescents are adopting computer-mediated communication (CMC) at a higher rate than any other age group, with CMC becoming integral to their social relationships. This is particularly significant given the role peer relationships play in adolescent mental health. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to explore the relationship between adolescent CMC and social anxiety. The research was guided by Erikson's theory of psychosocial development and Kock's media naturalness theory. This multiwave panel study included a convenience sample of 58 adolescents ages 11 to 18. Surveys were completed on participant's social skills and introversion, and daily data were gathered on CMC, face-to-face communication, and social anxiety. Three regression models were produced from each day's data. Results indicated a modest relationship between daily CMC and social anxiety. Results also indicated CMC users with lower social skills or higher in introversion may be at greater risk for social anxiety. Lower face-to-face communication was also found to be related to increased social anxiety in CMC users. Findings may be useful to researchers seeking to identify specific populations who are at greater risk for negative outcomes in CMC use. Findings may also be useful to clinicians, educators, and parents interested in CMC's role in adolescent mental health or its impact on the quality of adolescent peer relationships.

abstract: Although researchers often conceptualize shyness as stable across different situations (e.g., Rubin, Coplan, & Bowker, 2009), evidence has suggested that shyness may consist of situation-specific components (e.g., Asendorpf, 1990a; 1990b; Gazelle & Faldowski, 2014; Xu & Farver, 2009). This study was aimed at developing a systematic measurement tool for situational shyness in adolescence, as well as examining the relations between situational shyness and other popular measures of shyness and between situational shyness and adjustment. A sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 492) from an urban school participated in the study during 7th (T1) and 8th (T2) grades. Adolescents self-reported their situational shyness using a new measure of hypothetical scenarios, as well as their general shyness, anxious shyness, regulated shyness, depressive symptoms, and loneliness. Peers reported adolescents’ general and conflicted shyness, and popularity and peer rejection. The school provided records of their academic achievement (exam scores). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the situational shyness measure consistently supported that shyness in the hypothetical scenarios can be separated into three components: shyness with familiar peers, shyness with unfamiliar peers, and shyness in formal situations. These components had differential associations with other measures of shyness. Self-reported general and anxious shyness were related consistently to shyness with unfamiliar peers and in formal situations, and occasionally to shyness with familiar peers. Self-reported regulated shyness was not related to self-reported shyness in any situation. Peer-reported conflicted shyness was associated with shyness with familiar and unfamiliar peers, whereas peer-reported general shyness was associated with shyness with unfamiliar peers and in formal situations. Moreover, situational shyness showed differential relations to maladjustment. Shyness with familiar peers was associated positively with maladjustment in multiple domains, especially academic and peer difficulties. Shyness with unfamiliar peers and shyness in formal situations, in contrast, were associated primarily with internalizing problems. In addition, shyness with unfamiliar peers and in formal situations occasionally related to positive adjustment, suggesting shyness in specific situations may still be protective in contemporary urban China. The findings provided new evidence that the correlates of shyness depend on the situation in which shyness occurs, and may inform future intervention programs. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Family and Human Development 2019

While the importance of dual enrollment programs has been clearly demonstrated, the potential impact of completing college level courses during high school has on the emotional and mental well-being of adolescents has not been explored. School counselors are in a unique position to foster an academic environment that also enhances their emotional and mental wellness. Discovering factors that contribute to internalized behaviors, peer relationships, and academic performance, may provide school counselors a better understanding of personal, social, and academic development of adolescents The present study used a nonexperimental, comparative, research design to explore whether or not participation in dual-enrollment courses has any influence on internalized behaviors (locus of control, self-esteem, self-reliance, and sense of inadequacy) and peer relationships (social stress and interpersonal relationships) of 12th grade students. Data were collected through a demographic survey and the Self-Report of Personality, Adolescent version (SRP-A) of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 2nd edition (BASC-2) instruments. Two multivariate analyses of variance found no statistically significant results for the overall models. However, individually, the variable of self- esteem was statistically significant between dual enrolled and non-dual enrolled students. Based on the results of this research, school counselors can be better prepared to address and promote academic, career, and social competencies as it specifically relates to measures of self-esteem.

This qualitative study considers the experiences of a high school student with respect to unstable living conditions and peer relationships. For “Peter,” living in shelters and budget hotels meant withdrawing into cramped spaces, giving up personal possessions, and restricting social interaction at a time when identity formation is usually characterized by exploration, independence, and increased peer interaction Since Peter feels his socioeconomic background is the cause of difficult peer relationships, a quantitative study of his peers was conducted. Using a random sample of 232 students at Peter's high school, attitudes toward poor, sheltered, and middle class students are analyzed. Although Peter displays a hesitant personality style that contributes to poor social relationships, findings from the quantitative study suggest that students at Peter's school form friendships based upon socioeconomic class. Findings also suggest that students from middle to high SES backgrounds reject a newly-enrolled peer at a greater rate when compared to students from low to middle SES backgrounds.

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Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children. Many injuries to school-aged children occur during unsupervised peer activities, but peer influences on risky behavior in preadolescence remain under-investigated. We examined peer context effects on reported risk-taking, identified predictors of peer influence, and compared peer influence in high- and low-social-functioning groups. Forty-one boys aged 8-10 years listened to scenarios in which they encountered opportunities for risk-taking (e.g., swimming unsupervised, playing with matches) with their best friends, with "cool guys" (desired peers), with disliked peers, and alone. They rated the likelihood that they would engage in risky behavior in each condition for each scenario. Children also completed measures of friendship satisfaction, peer orientation, and socially desirable responding. Parents completed the CBCL and an injury history form. Children reported more risk-taking with positive peers than alone, and less with negative peers than alone. Four variables (peer orientation, friendship satisfaction, social problems, mother unmarried) accounted for 77% of the observed variance in peer influence on risk-taking. Children in the high social competence group showed larger peer influence, and indicated a preference for risk-taking with best friends over cool guys. Results are discussed in terms of improving injury prevention efforts by reconceptualizing "peer pressure" as a developmentally adaptive aspect of child functioning. / Master of Science