Peer attachment and social anxiety: Gender as a moderator across deaf and hearing adolescents

• Aitao Lu

  South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency

• Haiping Tian

  South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency

• Yanping Yu

  South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency

• Yi Feng

  South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency

• Xiuxiu Hong

  South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency

• Zuwei Yu

  Open University of Guangzhou

We examined the relationship between peer attachment and social anxiety across gender for adolescents who were deaf compared with adolescents with normal hearing, in order to establish whether or not there was a gender difference in this relationship and whether this difference varied across the 2 groups. The study was conducted with adolescents attending inner-city schools in Guangzhou, China. Participants were 112 adolescents who were deaf and who were attending 5 special schools, and 133 adolescents with normal hearing who were attending either an elementary or a middle school. Participants completed the Inventory of Peer Attachment and the Social Anxiety Scale for Children. We found that the link between peer attachment and social anxiety was stronger for adolescent girls with normal hearing than it was for adolescent boys with normal hearing, whereas this link was at a similar level for adolescent boys and girls who were deaf. The findings suggest that the effect of gender on peer attachment varies as a function of life experience of adolescents who are and are not deaf, and this underscores the importance of incorporating individual characteristics of adolescents in studies of their gender health inequalities.

1. Aitao Lu, South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency
   Center for Studies of Psychological Application and School of Psychology
2. Haiping Tian, South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency
   Center for Studies of Psychological Application and School of Psychology
3. Yanping Yu, South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency
   Center for Studies of Psychological Application and School of Psychology
4. Yi Feng, South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency
   Center for Studies of Psychological Application and School of Psychology
5. Xiuxiu Hong, South China Normal University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, and Guangdong Center of Mental Assistance and Contingency Technique for Emergency
   Center for Studies of Psychological Application and School of Psychology
6. Zuwei Yu, Open University of Guangzhou
   Department of Management

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