ERIC Number: EJ1467703
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0272-4316
EISSN: EISSN-1552-5449
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Is Mistrust in Early Adolescence Referent-Specific? Looking at the Validity of Different Mistrust Referents in Sixth Graders
Jiajun Mo1; Debora L. Roorda1; L. Andries van der Ark1; Bram Orobio de Castro1
Journal of Early Adolescence, v45 n6 p724-745 2025
This study examined whether social mistrust in early adolescence was general or referent-specific. We used a multi-trait multi-method approach to examine the validity of mistrust measures across social referents (mistrust toward people in general, toward peers, and toward teachers), using questionnaires and an online task. Sixth graders (N = 1243, ca. 11--13 years) in southern China reported about mistrust (i.e., general, teacher and peer), their social anxiety and aggression. Part of the students (N = 262) played an online trust game against a virtual, unfamiliar peer. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that mistrust was distinguishable across referents. All referents of mistrust were significantly associated with social anxiety and aggression, whereas only peer mistrust was associated with peer-trust behavior in the online game. As such, our findings may underscore the referent-specificity of mistrust in early adolescence. Insights for promoting healthy school adjustment were discussed.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Grade 6, Early Adolescents, Trust (Psychology), Interpersonal Relationship, Psychological Patterns, Validity, Anxiety, Aggression, Context Effect, Student Behavior
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands