Inhibition, Social Relationships, and Early Adulthood Outcomes

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to examine how inhibition in early childhood, as reflected in anxious, wary, and vigilant behaviors in challenging situations, contributes to social and psychological adjustment in early adulthood and how social relationships affect those contributions in different cultures. Moreover, the role of emotional and instrumental aspects of parent-child and peer relationships will be examined in the formation of the relations between early inhibition and adulthood outcomes. The children in two samples in China and Canada participated in previous studies related to this project from early childhood and will be included in a follow-up study in early adulthood. Data on young adults' social and psychological adjustment will be collected from the youth, their parents, and their best friends through interviews and questionnaires. The project will make significant contributions to knowledge about context for human development through investigating the long-term outcomes of inhibition in Chinese and North American societies. The project will also provide valuable information about the mechanisms in which early child characteristics and social relationships jointly shape development in different circumstances. Findings from the project will help professionals develop culturally sensitive and relevant policies and practical programs in the United States to promote adaptive development of children, particularly immigrant children and children from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.