Anxiety Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Anxiety, including details on anxiety disorder, panic attacks, medication, counselling, therapy.

Anxious solitude across contexts: girls' interactions with familiar and unfamiliar peers.

Gazelle H, Putallaz M, Li Y, Grimes CL, Kupersmidt JB, Coie JD

Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC 27402-6170, USA. heidi_gazelle@uncg.edu

Cross-situational continuity and change in anxious solitary girls' behavior and peer relations were examined in interactions with familiar versus unfamiliar playmates. Fourth-grade girls (N=209, M age=9.77 years, half African American, half European American) were identified as anxious solitary or behaviorally normative using observed and teacher-reported behavior among classmates. Subsequently, girls participated in 1-hr play groups containing 5 same-race familiar or unfamiliar girls for 5 consecutive days. Results support both cross-situational continuity and change in anxious solitary girls' behavior and peer relations. Although anxious solitary girls exhibited difficulty interacting with both familiar and unfamiliar playmates relative to behaviorally normative girls, elements of their behavior improved in unfamiliar play groups, a context in which they received less peer mistreatment.

Published 7 February 2005 in Child Dev, 76(1): 227-46.
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