Positive classroom climate buffers against increases in loneliness arising from shyness, rejection sensitivity and emotional reactivity.

ABSTRACT: Loneliness is detrimental to well-being, particularly during the transition into and early years of adolescence when peer relations are ascendant. Shy and emotionally sensitive youth, who often spend considerable time alone, have known vulnerabilities to loneliness. Studies of young children suggest that a supportive classroom context may mitigate adjustment risks, reducing victimization and improving a sense of belonging. Herein we extend this work to older students, testing the hypothesis that a positive classroom climate protects temperamentally vulnerable children (i.e., those who are shy, emotionally reactive, or sensitive to rejection) from escalating levels of loneliness across the course of a school year. A community sample of 540 (277 boys, 263 girls) Lithuanian students in grades

SUBMITTER: Katulis G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10076792 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature