Multiple Trajectories in Anxious Solitary Youths: the Middle School Transition as a Turning Point in Development
Abstract
This study aimed to identify divergent patterns of individual continuity and change in anxious solitude (AS) in the last half of elementary school (3rd - 5th grade) and the first two years of middle school (6th - 7th grade), and test predictors and outcomes of these pathways. Participants were 688 youths (girls n = 354, 51.5%; M age at outset = 8.66 years, SD = 0.50). Latent class growth analyses identified two AS trajectory classes in elementary school (moderate-decreasing, high-increasing) and three in middle school (low-stable, low-increasing, high-decreasing). The elementary school moderate-decreasing class was two-and-a-half times more likely than others to end in the middle school low-stable class. In contrast, the elementary school high-increasing class was twice as likely as others to end in the middle school low-increasing class, and four times as likely to end in the middle school high-decreasing class. Peer exclusion predicted membership in increasing AS trajectory classes in both elementary and middle school, whereas the middle school high-decreasing AS trajectory class demonstrated decreasing peer exclusion during middle school. Likewise, inability to defend oneself predicted membership in increasing AS trajectory classes in both elementary and middle school, whereas membership in the middle school high-decreasing AS trajectory class was predicted by inability to defend oneself in elementary but not middle school. High-decreasing AS youths' improved ability to defend themselves in middle school appeared to be related to a cascade of improvements in related domains. In contrast, membership in increasing AS classes in elementary and middle school predicted symptoms of social anxiety and depression.
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Children typically demonstrated more stability in AS from the fall to spring within each academic year when classmates were stable, than between years when classmates were reshuffled.
“Children typically demonstrated more stability in AS from the fall to spring within each academic year when classmates were stable, than between years when classmates were reshuffled [ 17, 46 ].”
The greatest changes in social and emotional functioning may occur in early adolescence when the MST prompts children to actively adapt to new circumstances.
“Specifically, the greatest changes in social and emotional functioning may occur in early adolescence [3] when the MST prompts children to actively adapt to new circumstances [ 17, 46].”
Improved peer treatment may be temporary, and peer mistreatment may re-emerge over the course of middle school for some AS adolescents.
“Nonetheless, improved peer treatment may be temporary, and peer mistreatment may re-emerge over the course of middle school for some AS adolescents [17].”
Adolescents are collectively motivated to make new friends and join new peer groups when they encounter new peers during the MST.
“This likely occurs because adolescents are collectively motivated to make new friends and join new peer groups when they encounter new peers during this major school transition [17, 46].”
Childhood anxious solitude/withdrawal (AS) predicts social anxiety disorder symptoms (SAS) in childhood and adolescence.
“Childhood anxious solitude/withdrawal (AS) predicts social anxiety disorder symptoms (SAS) in childhood and adolescence.”
Many AS children experience continued SAS from elementary to middle school.
“many AS children experience continued SAS from elementary to middle school.”
Improved AS in middle school (which corresponded to low SAS) was predicted by decreased peer exclusion and improved ability to defend oneself from peers in middle school, and by fewer other contextual stressors and more contextual support.
“Improved AS in middle school (which corresponded to low SAS) was predicted by decreased peer exclusion and improved ability to defend oneself from peers in middle school [17], and fewer other contextual stressors and more contextual support [37 ].”
The literatures on peer relations and on genetic vulnerability to SAD converge in suggesting that peer relations predict change in AS and/or SAS in childhood and adolescence.
“Thus, both the lit -eratures on peer-relations [17 ] and genetic vulnerability to SAD converge in providing evidence to suggest that peer relations predict change in AS and/or SAS in childhood and adolescence.”
Some youth experience the onset of AS in early adolescence after the middle school transition.
“Present findings are consistent with evidence indicating that some youth experience the onset of AS in early adolescence after the MST [17 ].”
Early adolescent onset of AS, as well as continued AS in middle school, is predicted by peer exclusion and inability to defend oneself in middle school.
“Early adolescent onset of AS (as well as continued AS in middle school) is predicted by peer exclusion and inability to defend oneself in middle school [17].”
Some children who demonstrated AS in elementary school and at the beginning of middle school subsequently demonstrated improved AS and SAS in middle school.
“some children who demonstrated AS in elementary school and at the beginning of middle school subsequently demonstrated improved AS and SAS in middle school [17, 37].”
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“This may be due to subpopulations of young people who experience transition more or less positively than the average (Gazelle & Faldowski, 2019).”
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“In other words, the way withdrawn adolescents initiate and maintain friendships in the context of one educational programmay carry over to the next educational program because the two social contexts are very similar (Eccles et al., 1993; Gazelle & Faldowski, 2019).”
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Child and adolescent social withdrawal predict adult psychosocial adjustment: A meta-analysis
Gazelle, H., Shafer Lundin, J. K., Lei, H., Cao, H., & Litchfield, M. (2024) · Frontiers in Developmental Psychology · doi:10.3389/fdpys.2024.1408166 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
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“Likewise, Gazelle and Faldowski (2019) report that some youth with histories of anxious solitude in elementary school demonstrated declining anxious solitude after the middle school transition, and that this was most likely to occur in the context of decreased peer exclusion and increased ability…”
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“…尽管上文对以上三 个领域分别进行了总结, 但实际上这几个方面也 是相互联系的, 共同作用于青少年的发展, 构成 了一个有机的发展系统(Engels et al., 2019)。例如, 一项对 3~9 年级学生的追踪研究发现(从小学过渡 到初中), 青少年的社会情绪能力、学业成绩和认 知能力是相互预测的关系, 且总体上构成了一个 发展级联系统(Okano et al., 2019)。 2.2 影响青少年学校过渡期发展的因素 哪些因素可能与青少年学校过渡期的发展趋 势有关呢？基于对先前文献的分析发现, 内在的…”
InfluentialEffect of shyness on internet addiction: a cross-lagged study mediated by peer relationships
Li, D.-D., Yu, J., & Zhao, L. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-04743-6 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“(Baardstu et al., 2020), and shy-ness leads to poorer friendship quality (Barry et al., 2013) and unacceptance among groups (Bullock et al., 2022; Gazelle & Faldowski, 2019; Liu et al., 2019).”
Gazelle, H. (2022) · Children · doi:10.3390/children9050734 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“Third, interventions could be timed just prior to the beginning of the new school year to take advantage of the natural rhythms of this ecological transition to maximize children’s and adolescents’ chances for a fresh start when they have encountered peer difficulties [16].”
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Psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C)
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Theory of Mind, Self-Perceptions, and Peer Popularity in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence
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“For the young adolescents in Study 2, the results suggest that perceiving oneself as ‘smart’ or doing well academically in school may not necessarily be a factor for peer popularity, as past studies show that some children hold stereotypes against those who do well in school as unpopular peers [50].”
Gazelle, H., & Cui, M. (2021) · Children · doi:10.3390/children8050379 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“Person-centered analyses are better suited to describing patterns of development that deviate from predominant patterns (see relevant examples [15,16]).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationShyness, Parent–Child Relationships, and Peer Difficulties During the Middle School Transition
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“For instance, recent research has shown that asymptomatically shy children who experienced peer exclusion in elementary school later exhibited shyness after they transitioned into middle school (Gazelle and Faldowski, 2019).”
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“118 However,otherstudiessuggestthatgirlstendtoexhibitagreateraffin-ity for spending time alone in early adolescence 7,64,119 and are more likely to exhibit anxious solitude 14,17 compared to their male peers.”
InfluentialGazelle, H., & Wu, Q. (2026) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-026-01991-y
Self-citation
- Authors
- Gazelle, H., & Faldowski, R. A.
- Affiliations
- Florida State University (US)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Corresponding author
- Gazelle, Heidi
- Venue
- Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
- Published
- 2019-02-23
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1135-1152
- ISSN
- 0091-0627 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-2835
- OpenAlex
- W2916495707
- Cited by
- 30
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 4.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (1K01MH076237)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- peer exclusion, middle school transition, developmental trajectories, elementary school, social anxiety, depression, peer rejection
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Anxiety, Child, Child Behavior, Child Development, Depression, Female, Humans, Loneliness, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Peer Group, Schools, Psychological Distance, Adolescent Development
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