Positive and negative affect as predictors of social functioning in Spanish children.

Ricardo Sanmartín,José Manuel García-Fernández,Ángela Díaz-Herrero,María Vicent,Cándido J Inglés,Carolina Gonzálvez,Chung-Ying Lin

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0201698

Ricardo Sanmartín, José Manuel García-Fernández + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201698

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between affect in its two commonly used theoretical categories, positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), and social functioning dimensions (school performance, family relationships, peer relationships and home duties/self-care). The sample comprised 390 students of primary education aged 8–11 years (M = 9.39; SD = 1.15). The short-form of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for children (PANAS-C-SF) and the Child and Adolescent Social Adaptive Functioning Scale (CASAFS) were used. Student’s t tests indicated that those reporting high levels on all the social functioning dimensions also reported significantly higher levels of PA than peers who reported low levels; by contrast, students reporting high levels of social functioning reported significantly lower levels of NA than peers who reported low levels. Similarly, logistic regression analyses showed that an increase in PA increased probability of high levels of social functioning, and that an increase in NA decreased the probability of presenting high levels of social functioning dimensions, with the exception of school performance. These results expand the PA and NA relationship with social functioning reported in adults to Spanish children, which is potentially of interest in the fields of Education and Psychology.

Highlights

In the literature affect has typically been divided into positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), and have been used extensively in the self-report mood literature, as Watson, Clark and Tellegen have noted [1]
The results show that the NA dimension significantly and negatively predicted high scores in all the social functioning dimensions (PR, family relationships (FR) and home duties/self-care (HD)), with the exception of school performing (SP)
This study seeks to analyze the relationship between the two dimensions of positive affect and negative affect (PA and NA) following the distinction by Watson et al [1], and the social functioning dimensions according to the classification of Price et al [31]: School Performance, Peer Relationships, Family Relationships and Home Duties and Self-Care (SP, peer relationships (PR), FR and HD)

Summary

Introduction

In the literature affect has typically been divided into positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), and have been used extensively in the self-report mood literature, as Watson, Clark and Tellegen have noted [1] These two affective state dimensions are mood factors that refer to feelings of enthusiasm or happiness (PA) and include aversive mood states (NA). The appearance of anxiety or depression can affect person’s emotional regulation, a key element in appropriate socialization [3]. In this sense, it is important to define social.

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