New Study: Teen Social Withdrawal Casts a Long Shadow Over Adult Life

Veenstra, R., Kretschmer, T., Sturm, J., & Oldehinkel, A. J. (2026). The long shadow of social withdrawal: The impact of social withdrawal in adolescence on adult developmental outcomes – The TRAILS study. *Development and Psychopathology*, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579426102004

Introduction

Some adolescents sit apart at lunch because they never try to join, not because they were rejected. A new study from the Dutch TRAILS project asks whether that early retreat follows them into adulthood. Withdrawal has several motives: some youth are shy or anxious, while others simply prefer solitude. Prior research links it to strained friendships, victimization, and fewer chances to practice social skills. A 2024 meta-analysis cited by the authors tied it to delays in work and family milestones (Veenstra et al., 2026).

Methods

Researchers followed two cohorts from about age 11 to 29. One was a population sample (N = 1,798). The other was a high-risk sample of 405 youth who had contact with mental health services before age 10. Adolescents and parents rated withdrawal at ages 11, 13.5, and 16, using items such as preferring to be alone or being too shy. Their reports were combined into a single latent score. Outcomes from ages 19 to 29 included a stable romantic relationship, independent living, friendship satisfaction, repeated paid work, avoiding repeated welfare, and avoiding serious financial trouble. Each outcome was coded as achieved or not by age 29. Models adjusted for gender, bullying, IQ, family socioeconomic status, and family instability. Sensitivity checks added a polygenic score for depression and removed participants with relevant diagnoses.

Results

More withdrawn adolescents were less likely to reach adult milestones (median odds ratio = 0.76 in both cohorts). They were less likely to have had a stable romantic relationship or to live independently (OR = 0.81 in the population cohort and 0.75 in the high-risk cohort for each). They were also less likely to be satisfied with their friendships (OR = 0.70 and 0.75) and more likely to depend on welfare (OR = 0.75 and 0.76). A one-standard-deviation rise in withdrawal lowered the odds of steady work experience by about 30% (OR = 0.69 and 0.71). The one exception was financial security in the high-risk cohort. Boys and girls showed the same pattern. Findings held after adding the polygenic score and after excluding participants with autism, depression, or social anxiety, where the link with work grew stronger (OR = 0.53). IQ, family background, and bullying each predicted particular domains, but withdrawal predicted nearly all of them.

Discussion

The authors propose that withdrawal causes a cumulative loss of practice. Fewer peer interactions leave fewer chances to rehearse for dating, job interviews, and teamwork. Adults may accept solitude more readily than teenagers do, but that shift does not erase earlier missed experiences. Limitations include greater dropout among disadvantaged families, which likely weakened the associations. The withdrawal measure was broad, there were no peer reports, and the sample was mostly ethnically Dutch.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

Withdrawn youth rarely seek connection, so programs should recruit them deliberately rather than wait for referrals. Mentors can offer low-pressure practice in starting conversations, resolving disagreements, and handling workplaces. Because the effects reached housing and finances, social coaching could be paired with practical support in budgeting and job seeking. Starting early, in late childhood, fits the authors’ call for intervention before these gaps compound.

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