Citation

Dyson MW, Klein DN, Olino TM, Dougherty LR, Durbin CE. Child Psychiatry Hum. Dev. 2011; 42(4): 390-405.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology (Psychology B Building), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11790-2500, USA, mdyson@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10578-011-0225-6

PMID

21479511

PMCID

PMC3356158

Abstract

Behavioral inhibition (BI) has generally been treated as a unitary construct and assessed by combining ratings of fear, vigilance, and avoidance to both novel social and non-social stimuli. However, there is evidence suggesting that BI in social contexts is not correlated with BI in non-social contexts. The present study examined the distinction between social and non-social BI in a community sample of 559 preschool-age children using a laboratory assessment of child temperament, a diagnostic interview, and parent-completed questionnaires. Social and non-social BI were not significantly correlated and exhibited distinct patterns of associations with parent reports of temperament and anxiety symptoms. This study suggests that BI is heterogeneous, and that distinguishing between different forms of BI may help account for the variation in trajectories and outcomes exhibited by high BI children.

Language: en