Dysregulated Fear Predicts Social Wariness and Social Anxiety Symptoms during Kindergarten

Abstract

Fearful temperament is associated with risk for the development of social anxiety disorder in childhood; however, not all fearful children become anxious. Identifying maladaptive trajectories is thus important for clarifying which fearful children are at risk. In an unselected sample of 111 two-year-olds (55% male, 95% Caucasian), Buss (2011) identified a pattern of fearful behavior, dysregulated fear, characterized by high fear in low threat situations. This pattern of behavior predicted parent- and teacher-reported withdrawn/anxious behaviors in preschool and at kindergarten entry. The current study extended original findings and examined whether dysregulated fear predicted observed social wariness with adults and peers, and social anxiety symptoms at age 6. We also examined prosocial adjustment during kindergarten as a moderator of the link between dysregulated fear and social wariness. Consistent with predictions, children with greater dysregulated fear at age 2 were more socially wary of adults and unfamiliar peers in the laboratory, were reported as having more social anxiety symptoms, and were nearly four times more likely to manifest social anxiety symptoms than other children with elevated wariness in kindergarten. Results demonstrated stability in the dysregulated fear profile and increased risk for social anxiety symptom development. Dysregulated fear predicted more social wariness with unfamiliar peers only when children became less prosocial during kindergarten. Findings are discussed in relation to the utility of the dysregulated fear construct for specifying maladaptive trajectories of risk for anxiety disorder development.

Attention Biases Towards and Away from Threat Mark the Relation between Early Dysregulated Fear and the Later Emergence of Social Withdrawal

“…In addition, children who displayed fear behaviors in low-threat contexts showed higher basal and reactive cortisol and higher sympathetic cardiac activity during baseline (Buss, Davidson, Kalin, & Goldsmith, 2004). Recently, (Buss and colleagues 2013) found that DF predicted social wariness during a free play with unfamiliar peers in the spring of kindergarten. At the end of kindergarten DF children were almost four times more likely to display SAD symptoms compared to other inhibited children based on a parent interview (Buss et al, 2013).…”

“…SAD often first emerges in adolescence but is preceded by elevated levels of social withdrawal in young children. However, recent studies have highlighted a distinct type of fearful temperament marked by high levels of fear in low-threat situations (i.e., dysregulated fear; DF), that is also associated with an increased risk for social wariness (Buss, 2011) and SAD symptoms (Buss et al, 2013), over and above risks associated with BI.…”

Kindergarteners’ Self-Reported Social Inhibition and Observed Social Reticence: Moderation by Adult-Reported Social Inhibition and Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

“…Participants came from a larger longitudinal study ( n = 111) of risk for anxiety-spectrum problems across early childhood (Buss et al, 2013). In the larger study, children were assessed at ages 2, 3, 4, and in the kindergarten year.…”

“…In the summer, and after the child reached age 6, a subset of parents ( n = 51; based on the goals of the larger study from which these data were derived; Buss et al, 2013) were invited to complete a semi-structured interview about their children’s anxiety symptoms after the child’s 6 th birthday. Participants were selected based upon indicators of heightened risk for Social Anxiety Disorder (e.g., observed fear/withdrawal and parent report in toddlerhood or in kindergarten).…”

“…Like inhibited temperament, social inhibition is conceptualized as coming from anxiety-based processes within the child, which can be differentiated from withdrawal resulting from external influences (e.g., peer rejection) or lack of interest in social interactions (“social disinterest;” Coplan & Armer, 2007; Rubin et al, 2009). Although inhibition to a variety of stimuli (objects, people, situations) is linked to SAD diagnosis and symptoms (Biederman et al, 2001; Buss et al, 2013; Hirshfeld-Becker et al, 2007), social inhibition is particularly relevant to risk for SAD (Van Ameringen, Mancini, & Oakman, 1998). …”