Longitudinal relations between social avoidance, academic achievement, and adjustment in Chinese children

The goal of the present study was to examine the moderating effect of academic achievement in the longitudinal relations between social avoidance and socioemotional adjustment in Chinese children. Participants were N = 578 children (Mage = 11.24 years, SD = 1.33 years) attending public schools in Shanghai, P.R. China. We assessed motivations for social withdrawal, academic achievement, and peer problems via self-reports, peer nominations, and school records. Among the results, social avoidance (positively) and academic achievement (negatively) uniquely and significantly predicted later feelings of loneliness, peer problems, and lower peer acceptance. Moreover, academic achievement significantly moderated the relations between social avoidance and later peer problems (but not loneliness or peer acceptance). The current findings suggest that although social avoidance poses unique developmental risk over time, academic achievement may serve as a protective factor against peer difficulties among Chinese youth. We discuss the results in terms of the implications of social avoidance and academic achievement in Chinese culture.