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<p>Although early childhood shyness is known to portend later internalizing-related problems, we know relatively little about how broad socio-cultural and socio-historical factors shape children’s shyness. In this study, we leveraged the COVID-19 pandemic as a quasi-experiment to examine generational and period differences in parent-reported children’s shyness at the same age in three separate cohorts (<i>N</i> = 648): Generation Z (tested: 1999–2000, <i>n</i> = 217, <i>M</i> = 4.43&#xa0;years), Generation Alpha: <i>pre-pandemic</i> (tested: 2018–2019, <i>n</i> = 217, <i>M</i> = 4.76&#xa0;years) and <i>mid-pandemic</i> (tested: 2021, <i>n</i> = 214, <i>M</i> = 4.47&#xa0;years). The two Generation Alpha groups did not differ on shyness levels despite the pandemic-related social restrictions, and both Generation Alpha cohorts had unexpectedly relatively lower parent-reported shyness levels today compared with Generation Z assessed approximately twenty years ago. Observed behavioral measures of shyness collected prior to the pandemic on a subset of children also revealed lower levels of shyness in Generation Alpha <i>pre-pandemic</i> compared with Generation Z, converging with parent-reported findings of shyness. Findings suggest that generational differences in children’s shyness may result from more protracted socio-cultural influences than from acute period effects such as COVID-19 lockdowns.</p>

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Generational Trends in Children’s Shyness: Does COVID-19 Matter?

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月27日

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  • Louis A. Schmidt,
  • Christina A. Brook,
  • Raha Hassan,
  • Xiaoxue Kong,
  • Taigan L. MacGowan,
  • Kristie L. Poole,
  • Laura A. Theall,
  • Michelle K. Jetha

摘要

Although early childhood shyness is known to portend later internalizing-related problems, we know relatively little about how broad socio-cultural and socio-historical factors shape children’s shyness. In this study, we leveraged the COVID-19 pandemic as a quasi-experiment to examine generational and period differences in parent-reported children’s shyness at the same age in three separate cohorts (N = 648): Generation Z (tested: 1999–2000, n = 217, M = 4.43 years), Generation Alpha: pre-pandemic (tested: 2018–2019, n = 217, M = 4.76 years) and mid-pandemic (tested: 2021, n = 214, M = 4.47 years). The two Generation Alpha groups did not differ on shyness levels despite the pandemic-related social restrictions, and both Generation Alpha cohorts had unexpectedly relatively lower parent-reported shyness levels today compared with Generation Z assessed approximately twenty years ago. Observed behavioral measures of shyness collected prior to the pandemic on a subset of children also revealed lower levels of shyness in Generation Alpha pre-pandemic compared with Generation Z, converging with parent-reported findings of shyness. Findings suggest that generational differences in children’s shyness may result from more protracted socio-cultural influences than from acute period effects such as COVID-19 lockdowns.