The Relationship of Shyness, Interpersonal Adjustment, and Peer Acceptance to Loneliness in Children

아동의 수줍음, 대인적응성 및 또래수용성과 외로움간의 관계

The relationship of shyness, interpersonal adjustment, and peer acceptance to loneliness in children was examined in a sample of 279 fifth and sixth graders (135 boys and 144 girls) and their teachers. Loneliness and shyness were rated by children themselves and interpersonal adjustment and peer acceptance by their teachers. Shyness and interpersonal adjustment were found to be predictive of peer acceptance, in which interpersonal adjustment had a greater effect than shyness. Shyness and peer acceptance were found to be predictive of loneliness, in which shyness had a greater effect than peer acceptance. Shyness appeared to have a direct impact on loneliness, whereas for interpersonal adjustment, the relation to loneliness was mediated by peer acceptance. The more shyness and the less interpersonal adjustment they have, the less peer acceptance they have, which results in more loneliness. More attention and research are needed for shyness as well as loneliness in the area of social development of children.