Early temperamental and family predictors of shyness and anxiety.

Abstract

With a sample of 242 twins (135 girls, 107 boys) studied longitudinally, behavioral inhibition (BI) and inhibitory control (IC) measured at 3 years, as well as early and concurrent family process variables, were examined as predictors of shyness and of anxiety symptoms approximately four years later. Structured observational data from laboratory and home contexts were used in conjunction with parent and experimenter ratings. A key goal was to extend previous findings of the positive relationship between early BI and anxiety development by incorporating the consideration of IC and family process variables. Using hierarchical linear modeling with REML estimation to adjust for twin dependency, early BI (b =.37, p <.01), IC (b =.14, p <.05), and concurrent lower family stress (b = −.22, p <.05), predicted shyness during middle childhood. Findings were similar for parent-rated and laboratory-based shyness measures. Anxiety symptoms were predicted by BI (b =.14, p <.05), early negative family affect (b =.20, p <.05), and family stress in middle childhood (b =.26, p <.05). These findings clarify the relative importance of temperament and family factors in the development of both shyness and anxiety symptoms during childhood.

Parental Behaviors During Family Interactions Predict Changes in Depression and Anxiety Symptoms During Adolescence

“…With regard to the development of anxiety symptoms, our results extend previous findings that parents of anxious children are more critical (Gar and Hudson 2008), and longitudinal findings that derisive parental comments (Rubin et al 2002) and negative parental affective expressivity (Volbrecht and Hill Goldsmith 2010) are associated with anxiety symptoms over time. To the best of our knowledge, no previous research has identified a prospective relationship between parental aggression and adolescent anxiety symptoms, and these findings are particularly notable as they were obtained using an observational measure of parenting behavior.…”

“…They found that when mothers of inhibited children behaved in either a controlling or derisive manner at age two, their children exhibited social reticence 2 years later. Other longitudinal studies using self-report measures of parenting in early and middle childhood samples have found a prospective relationship between parental controlling behaviors, low warmth, and negative emotional expressivity and childhood anxiety symptoms (Duchesne et al 2010;Volbrecht and Hill Goldsmith 2010). Longitudinal studies based on adolescents' reports of parental behaviors have found that perceived overprotective, rejecting and anxious parenting predicts an increase in adolescents' anxiety symptoms over time (Lieb et al 2000;Rapee 2009).…”

Testing Alternative Hypotheses Regarding the Association Between Behavioral Inhibition and Language Development in Toddlerhood

“…There are associations between traits of shyness and/or behavioral inhibition and deficits in social competence (e.g., Bohlin, Hagekull, & Andersson, 2005; Rimm-Kaufman & Kagan, 2005), decreased quality of peer relationships (Perren & Alsaker, 2006), social withdrawal (Fox & Reeb-Sutherland, 2010), and later quality of life (Caspi, Elder, & Bem, 1988). Similarly, other studies have reported that traits of shyness and/or behavioral inhibition are associated with internalizing problems (e.g., symptoms of anxiety and depression) in childhood (Mian, Wainwright, Briggs-Gowan, & Carter, 2011; Volbrecht & Goldsmith, 2010) and increased risk for developing anxiety disorders later in life (Chronis-Tuscano et al, 2009; McDermott et al, 2009; White, McDermott, Degnan, Henderson, & Fox, 2011; Schwartz, Snidman, & Kagan, 1999). …”

Shyness, Social Anxiety, and Social Phobia

“…Recent findings also suggest that early Behavioral Inhibition (BI) and concurrent lower family stress predict shyness during middle childhood, while anxiety symptoms are predicted by BI, early family negative affect and family stress in middle childhood (Volbrecht and Goldsmith, 2010). Notably, family stress predicted higher anxiety but lower shyness, suggesting possibly that shy children may have needed to reach beyond the family or become more assertive.…”