Preference-for-Solitude and Adjustment Difficulties in Early and Late Adolescence

Abstract

Social withdrawal has been associated with adjustment difficulties across development. Although much is known about shyness, little is known about preference-for-solitude; even less is known about its relations with adjustment across different periods of adolescence. We examined whether preference-for-solitude might be differentially associated with adjustment difficulties in early and late adolescence. Self- and parent-reports of withdrawal motivations and adjustment were collected from 234 eighth graders (113 boys; M age = 13.43) and 204 twelfth graders (91 boys; M age = 17.25). Results from structural equation modeling demonstrated that above and beyond the effects of shyness, preference-for-solitude was more strongly associated with adjustment difficulties in 8th grade than in 12th grade. Preference-for-solitude was associated with greater anxiety/depression, emotion dysregulation, and lower self-esteem in 8th grade; these relations were not found in 12th grade. Although preference-for-solitude was associated with lower social competence in both 8th and 12th grades, this relation was significantly stronger in 8th grade than in 12th grade. Findings suggest preference-for-solitude has closer ties to maladjustment in early adolescence than in late adolescence. Interventions targeting preferred-solitary youth in early adolescence may be particularly fruitful.

Acknowledgments

The research reported in this article was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grant 1R01MH58116 to Kenneth H. Rubin. We thank the children, parents, and teachers who participated in the study, as well as the many graduate and undergraduate students in the Laboratory for the Study of Child and Family Relationships who assisted in data collection and input.

Notes

Note: N = 234 8th graders, 204 12th graders. All correlations were significant at p < .05.

Note: Factor analysis was calculated using principal axis factor analysis with promax/oblique rotation. PFS = preference-for-solitude; Shy = shyness; R = reverse scored.

*Primary loadings.

Note: N = 234 8th graders, 204 12th graders. CFI = comparative fit index; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; SRMR = standardized root mean square; PFS = preference-for-solitude.