Examining the Distinctiveness and the Socio-Emotional Correlates of Anxious-Withdrawal and Unsociability During Early Adolescence in Finland

This study examined the distinctiveness of and the correlates associated with anxious-withdrawal and unsociability during early adolescence in Finland (N = 384; 12-14 years; 53% girls). As expected, confirmatory factor analyses revealed that anxious-withdrawal and unsociability were distinct and moderately positively correlated constructs. Only anxious-withdrawal was found to be related uniquely and positively to fearful temperament, anxious attachment, low self-esteem, and peer victimization. In addition, anxious-withdrawal was found to be more strongly related to negative affect than unsociability, but adolescents reported higher levels of unsociability than anxious-withdrawal. Theoretical and practical implications for the study of social withdrawal during adolescence are discussed.