Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among reticent and solitary-passive behavior and adjustment in Chinese children, and the moderate effect of gender. Participants are 145 children (M=129 months, SD=6.5, 60 boys and 85 girls) in Beijing, China. Children were invited to visit the university laboratory and play in quartet, and all sessions were videotaped. Reticent and solitary-passive behaviors were assessed on the basis of children’s behaviors during two free-play sessions in a battery of laboratory observation procedure, using the Play Observation Scale. After the observation procedure, children were asked to fill out some questionnaire which assessed children’s loneliness, depression and self worth. Participants’ teachers were visited and asked to report children’s academic achievements, leadership and school adaptation abilities and problems. It was found that reticent behavior was positively associated with internalizing problems(r=0.41, p<0.01) and victimization(r=0.39, p<0.01) and negatively associated with school adaptation ability(r=-0.36, p<0.05) for boys but not for girls, whereas solitary-passive behaviors was positively associated with indicators of adjustment problems such as loneliness(r=0.30, p<0.01) and depression(r=0.29, p<0.01), and negatively associated with school adaptation abilities(r=-0.29, p<0.05) and leadership(r=-0.31, p<0.05) for girls but not for boys. These results are not consistent with those findings from research conducted in western countries and indicate that the adjustment outcomes of reticent and solitary-passive behaviors are defined by cultural context. The results also indicate that gender may play an important role in defining the functional meanings of children’s social behaviors.

Key words: social withdrawal, social adjustment, gender

摘要： 本研究的目的是探讨社交退缩与儿童的社会适应之间的关系。 共有145名11岁儿童(M=129个月，SD=6.5个月，60名男孩，85名女孩)参与了本研究。本研究运用实验室观察程序，采用儿童游戏观察量表(Play Observation Scale)对儿童在两个自由游戏情景中的社交退缩行为进行编码，采用教师报告法和儿童自我报告法测量了儿童的适应情况。研究结果发现，焦虑退缩行为更多的与男孩的适应问题有关，而安静退缩更多的与女孩的适应问题如孤独感、抑郁等有关。结果表明社交退缩的各个亚型与其社会适应之间的关系是不同的，且性别在其中起着调节作用。

关键词: 社交退缩, 社会适应, 性别