Co-Development of Anxious Solitude and Social Anxiety Symptoms from Middle Childhood Through Early Adolescence: Increased Transactions After the Middle School Transition

Childhood anxious solitude/withdrawal (AS) predicts social anxiety disorder symptoms (SAS) in childhood and adolescence. However, the nature and timing of transactions between AS and SAS across development and the impact of ecological transitions is poorly understood. This investigation modeled cross-lagged effects between AS and SAS from 4th to 7th grade (approximately 9-12 years of age), to evaluate increased transactions after the middle school transition (MST) in the fall of 6th grade and thereafter. Biological sex differences in transactions were also tested. Participants were 230 American children (57% girls), half of whom were oversampled for AS. Peers nominated children for AS and children self-reported SAS in 4th through 7th grade. Results of a multigroup (biological sex) auto-regressive cross-lagged panel model revealed both stability in AS and SAS from 4th through 7th grade, as well as significantly more transactions between AS and SAS after the MST and during the first two years of middle school than during the last two years of elementary school. AS predicted increases in SAS just after the MST (spring 5th to fall 6th grade), and during the first year (fall to spring 6th grade) and second year (fall to spring 7th grade) of middle school. Conversely, SAS predicted an increase in AS from the spring of 6th grade to the fall of 7th grade. Most transactions occurred for both sexes, but several sex-specific transactions are also described. Results support a transactional model of AS and SAS co-development in early adolescence and the importance of ecological transitions.