Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2025

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
Published on: March 1, 2019
Peer relationships mediate the pathways from behavioral qualities to United States and Chinese children's loneliness
Keqin Zhang1, Jingyi Duan2, Scott Gest3
1Department of Human Development and Family Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
Abstract:
Loneliness is a perceived deficit in social relationships that is nested within broader cultural meaning systems. This longitudinal study examined predictors of loneliness in Chinese and U.S. children with the hypothesis that peer relationship parameters (number of friends, social preference, and popularity) mediate the associations between behavior qualities and loneliness differently across countries. Fifth-grade Chinese (n = 576, Mage = 10.58 years) and U.S. (White, Black, Asian, n = 540; Mage = 10.23 years) children completed two waves of assessment within an academic year. Shyness and athletic competence more strongly predicted loneliness for U.S. children, and academic ability, and aggression more strongly predicted loneliness for Chinese children. Popularity was a mediator for U.S. children but not Chinese children.
Related Concept Videos
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Relationship Formation
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types

