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Social and Non-Social Behavioral Inhibition in Preschool-Age Children: Differential Associations with Parent-Reports of Temperament and Anxiety

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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.

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Notes

  1. We also ran the analyses controlling for a continuous measure of age. The results were very similar to those reported above and did not change the conclusions.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a National Institute of Mental Health grant R01 MH069942 to Daniel N. Klein and a GCRC Grant no. M01-RR10710 to Stony Brook University from the National Center for Research Resources.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology (Psychology B Building), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11790-2500, USA

    Margaret W. Dyson & Daniel N. Klein

  2. Department of Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O’Hara St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Thomas M. Olino

  3. Department of Psychology, Biology/Psychology Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Lea R. Dougherty

  4. Michigan State University, 31 Psychology Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    C. Emily Durbin

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  1. Margaret W. Dyson
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  2. Daniel N. Klein
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  5. C. Emily Durbin
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Correspondence to Margaret W. Dyson.

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Dyson, M.W., Klein, D.N., Olino, T.M. et al. Social and Non-Social Behavioral Inhibition in Preschool-Age Children: Differential Associations with Parent-Reports of Temperament and Anxiety. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 42, 390–405 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-011-0225-6

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