Examining the Implications of Social Anxiety in a Community Sample of Mainland Chinese Children.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to examine the implications of social anxiety symptoms in a community sample of elementary school children in mainland China.

METHOD: Participants were N = 576 children (309 boys, 267 girls; mean age = 11.52 years, standard deviation = 1.21) attending public elementary schools in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Multisource assessments included child self-reports, teacher ratings, and school records.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the previously established 3-factor solution for the Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised. Social anxiety symptoms were associated with indices of internalizing problems, peer difficulties, and poorer school adjustment.

CONCLUSION

Results are discussed in terms of the implications of social avoidance as a particularly maladaptive component of social anxiety in the collectivistic society of China.