A recent study by three Carleton psychology researchers shows that shyness at school in early adolescence can lead to social and emotional difficulties.
Robert Coplan, Laura Ooi, and Linda Rose-Krasnor conducted an observational study on 290 children in Grades 4 to 6 as part of a larger series of studies on solitude.
“For this particular study, we were interested in the context of the school playground,” Coplan said. “We just set out to watch children on the schoolyard to get a better sense of the different kinds of social behaviours they display there.”
Rather than focusing on bullying behaviours and aggression in children, as Coplan said studies of this nature primarily do, the researchers paid special attention to socially withdrawn and shy kids.
They tracked how long children played in large groups, groups of two, and by themselves. These distinctions measured a child’s social participation, Coplan said.
The children also filled out questionnaires about their feelings, self-esteem, and how well they’ve been adjusting at school.
“On average, kids spend more than 90 per cent of their time playing with at least one other person,” Coplan said.
However, he said there was a small group of kids who did a large amount of solitary activities.
Looking into that small group, Coplan found that behavioural problems such as loneliness, anxiety, anger, and aggressiveness are potential underlying reasons for social withdrawal.
“Shyness even at a young age is associated with being rejected, excluded, and sometimes victimized by peers,” Coplan said.
“They go in with this disposition to be a little bit scared, they have these negative peer experiences that they elicit because of the way they’re behaving, which makes them feel even more scared and worse about themselves,” he said.
Coplan said he worries this back-and-forth will worsen over time and create problems for shy kids. They may not have the opportunity to learn social skills, how to co-operate and negotiate, solve problems, or get support from peers.
He said extremely shy kids have an increased risk of developing anxiety as they get older and, if it disrupts daily activities, could worsen into social anxiety disorder.
But Coplan said problems for shy kids facing stress aren’t set in stone.
“We’re always trying to come up with more effective strategies for teaching coping strategies,” Coplan said.
He said the earlier the intervention, the better. Encouraging shy kids to engage in social activities and find close friends can alleviate social stress.
Currently, Coplan and his team are researching social experiences of kids outside of school.
They will explore whether shy kids in school can be helped by a positive social experience outside of school.
