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

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.