Social withdrawal, peer relationships and depressed mood in adolescents

Social withdrawal in children may develop into a depressed mood in early adolescence , through experiences of problematic peer relationships, while friendship may function as a buffer (Rubin, Coplan, & Bowker, 2009). Our study examines the predictive relation between social withdrawal and depressive mood in adolescence, and whether peer relationship variables affect this relation. Participants were 457 Dutch adolescents (13-18 years) from regular schools. Instruments: peer nominations of anxious withdrawal, self-reports of depressive mood , friendship quality, positive and negative peer relationships. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that gender, age group, and social withdrawal contribute to the explanation of depressive mood (R 2= .033. Both positive and negative peer relationships cause R 2 to increase (ΔR2= .22), but the contributions of anxious withdrawal and friendship were not significant. The interaction variables between social withdrawal and the peer relationship variables were not significant. Mediation analyses were conducted separately for each peer relationship variable. For each peer relationship variable all four conditions were met to be considered a mediator. Sobel tests were all significant, p < .05.The regression of social withdrawal on depressive mood was significant in step 1 of the mediation models (β = .111). When controlling for social withdrawal (step 3) friendship β = - 243), positive peer relationships (β = -.455) and negative peer relationships (β = .333) significantly affected depressive mood. When controlling for friendship, positive peer relationship, and negative peer relationships (step 4), the relation between social withdrawal and depressive mood was not significant anymore. Thus, all three peer relation variables fully mediated the relationship between anxious withdrawal and depressive mood. Conclusion: The mediation effects demonstrate that anxious withdrawal influences perceived quality of peer relations, which in turn, influence depressive mood. Rubin, K. H., Coplan, R. J., & Bowker, J. C. (2009). Social withdrawal in childhood. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 141-171.