Associations between subtypes of social withdrawal and emotional eating during emerging adulthood Rebecca G. Etkin ⁎, Julie C. Bowker, Matthew D. Scalco University at Buffalo, SUNY, USA abstract article info Article history: Received 19 October 2015 Received in revised form 14 March 2016 Accepted 18 March 2016 Available online xxxx While the psychosocial difficulties associated with one specific type of social withdrawal, shyness, have been extensively studied, less is known about the correlates of other subtypes, such as preference-for-solitude. Of the existing studies on withdrawal subtypes, few focus on the emerging adulthood developmental period, and none have examined possible physical health-related correlates and associated mechanisms. This study considered whether two withdrawal subtypes (shyness, preference-for-solitude) are associated with emotional eating vis-à-vis internalizing problems during emerging adulthood. Participants included 643 emerging adults (283 males; M age = 19.61) who completed measures of withdrawal subtypes, emotional eating, and internalizing problems (depression, loneliness, social anxiety). Path models revealed that the associations between both shyness and preference-for-solitude and emotional eating were explained, in part, by depression and social anxiety. Findings suggest that withdrawing from peers during emerging adulthood, due to fear or preferences- for-solitude, may have significant consequences for both physical health outcomes vis-à-vis psychological difficulties. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Shyness Preference-for-solitude Emotional eating Internalizing problems Emerging adulthood 1. Introduction It is well-known that social withdrawal (i.e., a behavioral tendency to engage solitary behavior in the company of familiar and unfamiliar peers) during childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood is a strong risk factor for psychosocial maladjustment (i.e., depression, anxiety, peer victimization; Rubin, Coplan, & Bowker, 2009). Little is known, however, about the physical health-related concomitants of social withdrawal. There is some evidence that youth who are rejected and excluded by their peers (and as a consequence, spend considerable time alone) are at risk for the development and maintenance of obesity- and physical health-related difficulties (Salvy, de la Haye, Bowker, & Hermans, 2012). When alone and away from peers, such youth appear to overeat and “miss out” on opportunities for physical activity with peers. These recent findings raise the intriguing possibility that youth who are socially withdrawn and actively avoid their peers, not because of peer difficulties but due to shyness or a preference-for-solitude, may also be at risk for obesity-related health difficulties, including emotional eating (i.e., eating in response to negative emotions; Bruch, 1973). In this investigation, we consider whether two types of withdrawal (shyness, preference-for-solitude) are related to emotional eating during emerging adulthood (18–25 years). Investigators have not yet evaluat- ed these associations but the importance of studying emotional eating during this developmental stage is underscored by findings linking emotional eating with numerous physical health problems, including obesity and eating disorder symptomatology, which often persist into later adulthood. Mediation models in which the withdrawal subtypes lead to emotional eating vis-à-vis internalizing problems are also evaluated in light of theory and research suggesting that emotional eating often serves as a (non-adaptive) means of regulating or coping with unpleasant or threatening emotions such as loneliness and sadness (Macht, 2008). Understanding if and why withdrawn emerging adults are at risk for engaging in maladaptive eating behaviors has the potential to extend etiological risk models of social withdrawal, which to date, focus exclusively on social, social-cognitive, and psychological outcomes (Rubin et al., 2009). 1.1. Social withdrawal subtypes and adjustment difficulties Most developmental research has focused on withdrawn youth who are shy (Rubin et al., 2009); these youth want to be with their peers but are too fearful or anxious to do so. More recent work, however, has broadened to consider two additional withdrawal subtypes, unsociabil- ity and avoidance. Whereas unsociable youth have non-fearful prefer- ences for solitude, avoidant youth withdraw from peers because they actively dislike the company of others (Rubin et al., 2009). It is argued that these two latter types of withdrawal may be best studied together and as reflecting a preference-for-solitude, as they both involve an affinity for being alone (Wang, Rubin, Laursen, Booth-LaForce, & Rose- Krasnor, 2013). Whether unsociability and avoidance are examined Personality and Individual Differences 97 (2016) 239–244 ⁎ Corresponding author at: University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Department of Psychology, 306 Park Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA E-mail address: retkin@buffalo.edu (R.G. Etkin). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.03.059 0191-8869/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Personality and Individual Differences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/paid