Behavioural inhibition and symptoms of anxiety and depression: Is there a specific relationship with social phobia?

Abstract

These results extend those of previous research by suggesting specific patterns of relationships of both sensitivity to environmental stimuli and behavioural inhibition with symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is suggested that in investigating long-term outcome, prospective behavioural inhibition studies would benefit from examining the temporal corollaries of the underlying social and non-social dimensions. Sample and design limitations are discussed.

Relationship Between the Temperament Trait of Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Emotional Reactivity

“…SPS and mental health outcomes.Sensory processing sensitivity has been associated with poor mental health outcomes (Benham, 2006;Evers, Rasche, & Schabracq, 2008;Hofmann & Bitran, 2007;Liss, Mailloux, & Erchull, 2008;Liss, Timmel, Baxley, & Killingsworth, 2005;Meyer, Ajchenbrenner, & Bowles, 2005;Meyer & Carver, 2000;Neal, Edelmann, & Glachan, 2002) and higher levels of stress and ill health (Benham, 2006;Evers et al, 2008). SPS associations with poor mental health outcomes include high scores on self-reported anxiety, but not depression (Neal et al, 2002).…”

“…SPS associations with poor mental health outcomes include high scores on self-reported anxiety, but not depression (Neal et al, 2002). Hofmann and colleagues (2007) investigated patients diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and found that SPS, while separate from social anxiety, was associated with harm avoidance and agoraphobic avoidance.…”

“…A number of studies have equated SPS with psychopathology, negative mental health outcomes, stress and illness (Benham, 2006;Evers, Rasche, & Schabracq, 2008;Hofmann & Bitran, 2007;Liss, Mailloux, & Erchull, 2008;Liss, Timmel, Baxley, & Killingsworth, 2005;Meyer, Ajchenbrenner, & Bowles, 2005;Meyer & Carver, 2000;Neal, Edelmann, & Glachan, 2002). Importantly, all but one of the studies used self-report, and not clinical, measures, precluding any conclusions about the clinical validity of the findings.…”

Sensory-processing sensitivity in social anxiety disorder: Relationship to harm avoidance and diagnostic subtypes

“…SAD often begins in the mid-teens, but can also occur in early childhood and can manifest itself early on as childhood shyness (Hayward, Killen, Kraemer, & Taylor, 1998;Mick & Telch, 1998;Neal, Edelmann, & Glachan, 2002;Neal & Edelmann, 2003;Rosenbaum, Biederman, Hirshfeld, Bolduc, & Chaloff, 1991;Rosenbaum, Biederman, Pollack, & Hirshfeld, 1994;Schwartz, Snidman, & Kagan, 1999). Childhood shyness (also known as behavioral inhibition) refers to a person's degree of wariness and timidity when encountering novel people, objects, or events (Kagan, 2001) and related constructs have been discussed by others (e.g., Cloninger, 1987a,b;Eysenck, 1981;Gray & McNaughton, 1996).…”

Maternal Modeling and the Acquisition of Fear and Avoidance in Toddlers: Influence of Stimulus Preparedness and Child Temperament

“…As described earlier, there has been considerable interest in the possibility that certain early temperament styles--in particular behavioral inhibition--represent a precursor to the development of anxiety disorders (Kagan et al , 1987Neal et al 2002;Prior et al 2000;Rapee and Spence 2004). The term behavioral inhibition describes a relatively consistent pattern of behavioral and emotional responses to unfamiliar or novel people, places/situations, or objects .…”