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Abstract
This study investigated the degree to which shy-anxiousness is associated with children’s social dissatisfaction (i.e., network dissatisfaction, dyadic dissatisfaction, and social agency dissatisfaction), including the degree to which perceived likeability and social agency moderate this relationship. Shy-anxiousness was assessed using a combined teacher and peer nomination variable. Increased shy-anxiousness was hypothesized to be associated with increased network, no significant relationship with dyadic dissatisfaction, and little was known regarding dissatisfaction with agency. Effects of gender and racial status were also investigated. Participants included 341 fourth and fifth grade students who rated their own levels of likability and social power/influence among peers as well as their social dissatisfaction. Results indicated varied significance of shy-anxiousness and interactions in predicting network dissatisfaction, dyadic dissatisfaction, and social agency dissatisfaction. Implications for intervention are discussed, including importance of understanding differences in shy-anxiousness between boys and girls.