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Tan E, Zeytinoglu S, Morales S, Buzzell GA, Almas AN, Degnan KA, Chronis-Tuscano A, Henderson H, Pine DS, Fox NA. Social versus non-social behavioral inhibition: Differential prediction from early childhood of long-term psychosocial outcomes. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13427. [PMID: 37345685 PMCID: PMC10739650 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperamental style characterized by cautious and fearful behaviors in novel situations. The present multi-method, longitudinal study examined whether young children's observed and parent-reported BI in social versus non-social contexts predicts different long-term psychosocial outcomes. Participants (N = 279) were drawn from a longitudinal study of socioemotional development. BI in social contexts ("social BI") was measured via children's observed wariness toward unfamiliar adults and peers at 24 and 36 months and parents' reports of children's social fear/shyness at 24, 36, and 48 months. BI in non-social contexts ("non-social BI") was measured via children's observed fearful responses to masks and novel toys, and parents' reports of children's distress to non-social novelty at 9 months and non-social fear at 48 months. At 15 years, anxiety was assessed via adolescent- and parent-reports, and global internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed via parent-reports. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a two-factor model fit the BI data significantly better than a single-factor model, providing evidence for the dissociation of BI in social versus non-social contexts. Social BI was uniquely associated with adolescent social anxiety, whereas non-social BI was specifically associated with adolescent separation anxiety. Neither social BI nor non-social BI predicted global internalizing and externalizing problems, providing evidence for the specific relations between BI and anxiety problems. Together, these results suggest that young children's inhibited responses in social versus non-social situations predict different subtypes of anxiety problems in adolescence, highlighting the multifaceted nature of BI and the divergent trajectories of different anxiety problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enda Tan
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park
| | - Selin Zeytinoglu
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park
| | | | | | - Alisa N. Almas
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia
| | | | | | | | - Daniel S. Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - Nathan A. Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park
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2
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Hassan R, Smith CL, Schmidt LA, Brook CA, Bell MA. Developmental patterns of children's shyness: Relations with physiological, emotional, and regulatory responses to being treated unfairly. Child Dev 2023; 94:1745-1761. [PMID: 37415524 PMCID: PMC10771537 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
The dysregulation of social fear has been widely studied in children's shyness, but we know little about how shy children regulate during unfair treatment. We first characterized developmental patterns of children's shyness (N = 304, ngirls = 153; 74% White, 26% Other) across 2 (Mage = 2.07), 3 (Mage = 3.08), 4 (Mage = 4.08), and 6 (Mage = 6.58) years of age. Data collection occurred from 2007 to 2014. At age 6, the high stable group had higher cardiac vagal withdrawal and lower expressed sadness and approach-related regulatory strategy than the low stable group when being treated unfairly. Although shy children may be more physiologically impacted by being treated unfairly, they may mask their sadness to signal appeasement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raha Hassan
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University
| | - Cynthia L. Smith
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, Virginia Tech
| | - Louis A. Schmidt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University
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3
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Hwang HG, Filippi CA, Morales S, Fox NA, Woodward A. Children's social wariness toward a different-race stranger relates to individual differences in temperament. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13390. [PMID: 36960937 PMCID: PMC10518028 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
When children first meet a stranger, there is great variation in how much they will approach and engage with the stranger. While individual differences in this type of behavior-called social wariness-are well-documented in temperament research, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the social groups (such as race) of the stranger and how these characteristics might influence children's social wariness. In contrast, research on children's social bias and interracial friendships rarely examines individual differences in temperament and how temperament might influence cross-group interactions. The current study bridges the gap across these different fields of research by examining whether the racial group of an unfamiliar peer or adult moderates the association between temperament and the social wariness that children display. Utilizing a longitudinal dataset that collected multiple measurements of children's temperament and behaviors (including parent-reported shyness and social wariness toward unfamiliar adults and peers) across early childhood, we found that 2- to 7-year-old children with high parent-reported shyness showed greater social wariness toward a different-race stranger compared to a same-race stranger, whereas children with low parent-reported shyness did not. These results point to the importance of considering racial group membership in temperament research and the potential role that temperament might play in children's cross-race interactions. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Previous research on temperament has not considered how the race of strangers could influence children's social wariness. We find evidence that 2- to 7-year-old children with high parent-reported shyness show greater social wariness toward a different-race stranger compared to a same-race stranger. These results point to the importance of considering racial group membership in temperament research. Our findings also suggest temperament may play a role in children's cross-race interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyesung G Hwang
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Courtney A Filippi
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Santiago Morales
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Amanda Woodward
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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4
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Klinge JL, Warschburger P, Busching R, Klein AM. Self-regulation facets differentially predict internalizing symptom trajectories from middle childhood to early adolescence: a longitudinal multimethod study. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2023; 17:120. [PMID: 37848960 PMCID: PMC10583422 DOI: 10.1186/s13034-023-00670-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Internalizing symptoms are among the most common psychological symptoms in childhood and adolescence, are highly stable and can cause severe impairment. Current research discusses lower capacities of self-regulation (SR) as risk factors for the development of internalizing symptoms. The present study identifies trajectories of internalizing symptoms in the transition phase from middle childhood to adolescence and examines multiple SR facets as predictors of potentially unfavorable trajectories, also in the presence of other established risk factors. METHODS The study utilized a community sample of N = 1453 (52.2% female) German children, who provided data at up to three measurement points (t1: 6-11 years, t2: 7-11 years, t3: 9-13 years). Trajectories of internalizing symptoms were based on parents' ratings of the emotional problems scale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. SR facets were assessed using multiple methods and informants. Two multinomial regression analyses were conducted to predict class membership by (1) SR facets and gender and (2) SR facets, gender, and other established risk factors (education status, family adversity, peer problems). RESULTS Using growth mixture modelling, we identified three trajectory classes with stable low (n = 1200), increasing (n = 124), and early high decreasing internalizing symptoms (n = 129). In the regression analysis controlling for risk factors, membership in the increasing trajectory was significantly predicted by higher emotional reactivity (OR = 2.65, p < .001), higher cognitive flexibility/set-shifting (OR = 1.48, p = .032), and higher family adversity (OR = 1.38, p = .046). Membership in the early high decreasing trajectory was significantly predicted by higher emotional reactivity (OR = 4.15, p < .001), higher inhibitory control (OR = 1.47, p = .045), lower working-memory updating (OR = 0.69, p = .016), lower delay of gratification (OR = 0.75, p = .028), and higher family adversity (OR = 1.63, p = .001). CONCLUSIONS SR facets incrementally and differentially predict potentially unfavorable trajectories of internalizing symptoms from age 6 to 13, surpassing the predictive value of gender or education status. Higher emotional reactivity emerged as the most influential factor, which could therefore be addressed in future prevention and intervention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna L Klinge
- International Psychoanalytic University Berlin, Stromstr. 1, 10555, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Petra Warschburger
- Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Robert Busching
- Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Annette M Klein
- International Psychoanalytic University Berlin, Stromstr. 1, 10555, Berlin, Germany
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Correa KA, Delfel EL, Wallace AL, III WEP, Jacobus J. Hispanic/Latinx ethnic differences in the relationships between behavioral inhibition, anxiety, and substance use in youth from the ABCD cohort. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1251032. [PMID: 37867762 PMCID: PMC10587569 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1251032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Elevated levels of behavioral inhibition (BI) may connote risk for both anxiety and substance use disorders. BI has consistently been shown to be associated with increased levels of anxiety, while the association between BI and substance use has been mixed. It is possible that the relationship between BI and substance use varies by individual difference factors. Hispanic/Latinx (H/L) youth in particular may have stronger relationships between BI, anxiety, and substance use. Methods The present study therefore evaluated (1) the prospective relationships between BI [assessed via self-reported behavioral inhibition system (BIS) scale scores], anxiety, and substance use in youth (n = 11,876) across baseline, 1-, and 2-year follow-ups of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (ages 9-12) and (2) whether these relationships differed by H/L ethnicity while covarying for average behavioral approach system scores, race, sex, age, highest parental income, highest parental education, and past-year substance use (for analyses involving substance use outcomes). Results Baseline levels of BIS scores predicted increased anxiety symptoms at both 1- and 2-year follow-ups and did not differ by H/L ethnicity. Baseline levels of BIS scores also prospectively predicted increased likelihood of substance use at 2-year follow-up, but only for H/L youth and not at 1-year follow-up. Discussion High scores on the BIS scale contribute risk to anxiety across ethnicities and may uniquely contribute to risk for substance use in H/L youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A. Correa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Everett L. Delfel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
- San Diego State University/University of California (SDSU/UC) San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Alexander L. Wallace
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - William E. Pelham III
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Joanna Jacobus
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
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Harrewijn A, Ruiz SG, Abend R, Haller SP, Subar AR, Swetlitz C, Valadez EA, Brotman MA, Chen G, Chronis-Tuscano A, Leibenluft E, Bar-Haim Y, Fox NA, Pine DS. Development of Neural Mechanisms Underlying Threat Processing: Associations With Childhood Social Reticence and Adolescent Anxiety. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 3:893-901. [PMID: 37881548 PMCID: PMC10593903 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Social reticence in early childhood is characterized by shy and anxiously avoidant behavior, and it confers risk for pediatric anxiety disorders later in development. Aberrant threat processing may play a critical role in this association between early reticent behavior and later psychopathology. The goal of this longitudinal study is to characterize developmental trajectories of neural mechanisms underlying threat processing and relate these trajectories to associations between early-childhood social reticence and adolescent anxiety. Methods In this 16-year longitudinal study, social reticence was assessed from 2 to 7 years of age; anxiety symptoms and neural mechanisms during the dot-probe task were assessed at 10, 13, and 16 years of age. The sample included 144 participants: 71 children provided data at age 10 (43 girls, meanage = 10.62), 85 at age 13 (46 girls, meanage = 13.25), and 74 at age 16 (36 girls, meanage = 16.27). Results A significant interaction manifested among social reticence, anxiety symptoms, and time, on functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, voxelwise p < .001, clusterwise familywise error p < .05. Children with high social reticence showed a negative association between amygdala-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex connectivity and anxiety symptoms with age, compared to children with low social reticence, suggesting distinct neurodevelopmental pathways to anxiety. Conclusions These findings were present across all conditions, suggesting task-general effects in potential threat processing. Additionally, the timing of these neurodevelopmental pathways differed for children with high versus low social reticence, which could affect the timing of effective preventive interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Harrewijn
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sonia G. Ruiz
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Rany Abend
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Simone P. Haller
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Anni R. Subar
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
| | | | - Emilio A. Valadez
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Melissa A. Brotman
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Gang Chen
- Scientific and Statistical Computing Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nathan A. Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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7
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Anaya B, Neiderhiser JM, Pérez-Edgar K, Leve LD, Ganiban JM, Reiss D, Natsuaki MN, Shaw DS. Developmental trajectories of behavioral inhibition from infancy to age seven: The role of genetic and environmental risk for psychopathology. Child Dev 2023; 94:e231-e245. [PMID: 37017208 PMCID: PMC10332342 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
The present study leveraged data from a longitudinal adoption study of 361 families recruited between 2003 and 2010 in the United States. We investigated how psychopathology symptoms in birth parents (BP; Mage = 24.1 years; 50.5-62.9% completed high school) and adoptive parents (AP; Mage = 37.8 years; 80.9% completed college; 94% mother-father couples) influenced children's behavioral inhibition (BI) trajectories. We used latent growth models of observed BI at 18 and 27 months, and 4.5 and 7 years in a sample of adopted children (Female = 42%, White = 57%, Black = 11%, Multi-racial = 21%, Latinx = 9%). BI generally decreased over time, yet there was substantial variability in these trajectories. Neither BP nor AP psychopathology symptoms independently predicted systematic differences in BI trajectories. Instead, we found that AP internalizing symptoms moderated the effects of BP psychopathology on trajectories of BI, indicating a gene by environment interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - David Reiss
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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8
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Fox NA, Zeytinoglu S, Valadez EA, Buzzell GA, Morales S, Henderson HA. Annual Research Review: Developmental pathways linking early behavioral inhibition to later anxiety. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:537-561. [PMID: 36123776 PMCID: PMC10690832 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral Inhibition is a temperament identified in the first years of life that enhances the risk for development of anxiety during late childhood and adolescence. Amongst children characterized with this temperament, only around 40 percent go on to develop anxiety disorders, meaning that more than half of these children do not. Over the past 20 years, research has documented within-child and socio-contextual factors that support differing developmental pathways. This review provides a historical perspective on the research documenting the origins of this temperament, its biological correlates, and the factors that enhance or mitigate risk for development of anxiety. We review as well, research findings from two longitudinal cohorts that have identified moderators of behavioral inhibition in understanding pathways to anxiety. Research on these moderators has led us to develop the Detection and Dual Control (DDC) framework to understand differing developmental trajectories among behaviorally inhibited children. In this review, we use this framework to explain why and how specific cognitive and socio-contextual factors influence differential pathways to anxiety versus resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan A. Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Selin Zeytinoglu
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Emilio A. Valadez
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - George A. Buzzell
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Santiago Morales
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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9
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Vallorani A, Brown KM, Fu X, Gunther KE, MacNeill LA, Ermanni B, Hallquist MN, Pérez-Edgar K. Relations between social attention, expressed positive affect and behavioral inhibition during play. Dev Psychol 2022; 58:2036-2048. [PMID: 35758993 PMCID: PMC9613620 DOI: 10.1037/dev0001412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Flexible social attention, including visually attending to social interaction partners, coupled with positive affect may facilitate adaptive social functioning. However, most research assessing social attention relies on static computer-based paradigms, overlooking the dynamics of social interactions and limiting understanding of individual differences in the deployment of naturalistic attention. The current study used mobile eye-tracking to examine relations between social attention, expressed affect, and behavioral inhibition during naturalistic play in young children. Children (N = 28, Mage = 6.12, 46.4% girls, 92.9% White) participated in a 5-min free play with a novel age- and sex-matched peer while mobile eye-tracking data were collected. Interactions were coded for social attention and expressed affect and modeled second-by-second, generating 4,399 observations. Children spent more time dwelling on toys than on peers or anywhere else in the room. Further analyses demonstrated children were almost twice as likely to gaze at their peer when simultaneously self-expressing positive affect. Additionally, children were more than twice as likely and more than three times as likely to self-express positive affect when dwelling on peer or in the presence of peer-expressed positive affect, respectively. Behavioral inhibition was not significantly related to social attention. However, children higher in behavioral inhibition were less likely to self-express positive affect in the presence of peer-expressed positive affect. The current results provide a snapshot of relations between social attention, expressed affect and individual differences during play and provide guidance for future work assessing the roles of social attention and positive affect in facilitating positive social interactions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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10
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Lawson KM, Bleidorn W, Hopwood CJ, Cheng R, Robins RW. Trajectories of temperament from late childhood through adolescence and associations with anxiety and depression in young adulthood. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070221124318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety and depression are pervasive and pernicious mental health problems for young adults. Developmental trajectories of adolescent temperament (Effortful Control, Negative Emotionality, and Positive Emotionality) may help us predict who will experience anxiety/depression during young adulthood. The present study used longitudinal data from a large, community sample of Mexican-origin youth ( N = 674) to examine how temperament develops across adolescence (age 10–16) and whether the developmental trajectories of temperament are associated with anxiety/depression during young adulthood (ages 19 and 21). Results indicate that Effortful Control, Negatively Emotionality, and the Affiliation facet of Positive Emotionality tend to decrease across adolescence, whereas Surgency tends to increase. Smaller decreases in Effortful Control and greater increases in Positive Emotionality across adolescence were associated with fewer anxiety/depression symptoms during young adulthood, whereas smaller decreases in Negative Emotionality were associated with more anxiety/depression symptoms later on. Thus, temperament development serves as both a protective factor (Effortful Control, Positive Emotionality) and a risk factor (Negative Emotionality) for later anxiety/depression in Mexican-origin youth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wiebke Bleidorn
- University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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11
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Poole KL, Degnan KA, Harrewijn A, Almas A, Fox NA, Henderson HA. Trajectories of socially anxious behavior from age 5 to 13: Temperamental and sociocognitive pathways. Child Dev 2022; 93:1334-1346. [PMID: 35404475 PMCID: PMC9427668 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The authors examined temperamental and sociocognitive predictors of socially anxious behavior from preschool to early adolescence. Children (N = 227; 59% male; 69% White) completed a speech task at ages 5, 7, 10, and 13 and socially anxious behaviors were coded. Behavioral inhibition (BI) was assessed at ages 2/3 and Theory of Mind (ToM) was assessed at age 4. Data collection occurred between 2003 and 2016. Three trajectories of socially anxious behavior were identified: high stable, average increasing, and low stable. Higher BI was related to the high stable trajectory, whereas lower ToM was related to the increasing trajectory of socially anxious behavior. There are heterogenous pathways of socially anxious behavior, which may be uniquely influenced by early temperamental and sociocognitive factors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathryn A Degnan
- Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | | | - Alisa Almas
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nathan A Fox
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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12
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Mudra S, Göbel A, Möhler E, Stuhrmann LY, Schulte-Markwort M, Arck P, Hecher K, Diemert A. Behavioral Inhibition in the Second Year of Life Is Predicted by Prenatal Maternal Anxiety, Overprotective Parenting and Infant Temperament in Early Infancy. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:844291. [PMID: 35722567 PMCID: PMC9203734 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.844291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Behavioral inhibition, characterized by shyness, fear and avoidance of novel stimuli, has been linked with internalizing personality traits in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, and particularly later social anxiety disorder. Little is known about the relevance of potential prenatal precursors and early predictors for the development of inhibited behavior, such as infant vulnerability and family risk factors like parental anxiety and overprotection. Pregnancy-related anxiety has been associated with both infant temperament and maternal overprotective parenting. Thus, the aim of this study was investigating the predictive relevance of prenatal pregnancy-related anxiety for behavioral inhibition in toddlerhood, by considering the mediating role of maternal overprotection and infant distress to novelty. Materials and Methods As part of a longitudinal pregnancy cohort, behavioral inhibition at 24 months postpartum was assessed in N = 170 mother-child pairs. Maternal pregnancy-related anxiety was examined in the third trimester of pregnancy, and maternal overprotection and infant distress to novelty at 12 months postpartum. Results Mediation analysis with two parallel mediators showed that the significant direct effect of pregnancy-related anxiety on child behavioral inhibition was fully mediated by infant distress to novelty p < 0.001 and maternal overprotection (p < 0.05). The included variables explained 26% of variance in behavioral inhibition. A subsequent explorative mediation analysis with serial mediators further showed a significant positive association between distress to novelty and maternal overprotective parenting (p < 0.05). Conclusion Results indicate a predictive relevance of both infant and maternal factors for the development of behavioral inhibition in toddlerhood. Mothers who perceived more pregnancy-related anxiety showed more overprotective parenting and had infants with more distress to novelty. Further, mothers being more overprotective reported their child to be more inhibited in toddlerhood. Our findings also indicate the stability of reported infant distress to novelty as one aspect of later behavioral inhibition. Addressing specific forms of parental anxiety from pregnancy on and in interaction with child-related variables seems to be a promising approach for future studies and clinical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Mudra
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ariane Göbel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eva Möhler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Saarland University Medical Center, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lydia Yao Stuhrmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Schulte-Markwort
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Petra Arck
- Division of Experimental Feto-Maternal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kurt Hecher
- Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anke Diemert
- Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Zeytinoglu S, Neuman K, Degnan KA, Almas AN, Henderson H, Chronis-Tuscano A, Pine DS, Fox NA. Pathways from maternal shyness to adolescent social anxiety. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022; 63:342-349. [PMID: 34184279 PMCID: PMC9394112 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social anxiety is amongst the most prevalent adolescent mental health problems; however, it is often unrecognized due to its comorbidity with other anxiety problems such as generalized anxiety. Thus, understanding the unique developmental pathways to social anxiety is critical for improving its prevention. We examined the pathway from maternal shyness, when children were 4 years old, to adolescents' social anxiety at age 15 through social wariness at age 7. We hypothesized that childhood social wariness would mediate the association between maternal shyness and social anxiety in adolescence. METHODS Participants (N = 291; 54% female) were followed from early childhood to adolescence. Mothers reported on their own shyness when children were 4 years old. Social wariness toward unfamiliar peers was observed in the laboratory at ages 4 and 7. Adolescent social anxiety and generalized anxiety were assessed via self-report, parent-report, and clinical diagnoses at age 15. RESULTS Maternal shyness was positively associated with adolescent social anxiety but not generalized anxiety at age 15. Higher levels of maternal shyness at age 4 predicted greater social wariness at age 7, which in turn predicted greater social anxiety but not generalized anxiety at age 15. Social wariness at age 7 partially mediated the association between maternal shyness and adolescent social anxiety. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies a unique developmental pathway from maternal shyness to adolescent social anxiety. Findings suggest that childhood social wariness connects maternal shyness to adolescent social anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selin Zeytinoglu
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park
| | - Keara Neuman
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University
| | | | - Alisa N. Almas
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia
| | | | | | - Daniel S. Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - Nathan A. Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park
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14
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Kravitz SBR, Walker OL, Degnan KA. Toddler Exuberance as an Influence on Positive Social Behavior in a High-Intensity Context in Middle Childhood. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2022; 31:232-247. [PMID: 35330663 PMCID: PMC8939898 DOI: 10.1111/sode.12532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Exuberance, a profile of temperament characterized in toddlerhood by high approach motivation, positive affect, and sociability, is associated with both adaptive and maladaptive socioemotional outcomes. The aims of the current study were to introduce a novel approach/avoidance-eliciting social task, as well as longitudinally extend our understanding of toddlerhood exuberance to outcomes in middle childhood. Specifically, affect and social behavior at age seven during a high-intensity game were compared to that observed during a low-intensity freeplay task. As part of a longitudinal study, 291 infants were selected at 4 months for a wide range of reactivity to novelty. The sample was assessed repeatedly across early childhood (9, 24, and 36 months of age) and at 7 years of age. A high exuberance profile was formed with approach, positive, and sociable behaviors observed in the laboratory from 4 to 36 months. At 7 years of age, affect and social behavior were assessed during high- and low-intensity interactions with an unfamiliar peer in the laboratory. Path Analyses using structural equation models demonstrated that a high exuberance profile was associated with greater positive social behavior at age 7 during a high-intensity game, but not negative social behavior or behavior during a low-intensity freeplay task. These results illuminate the need for targeted methodology, such as high-intensity approach/avoidance-eliciting social tasks, in order to clarify the links between early temperament and adaptive or maladaptive socioemotional outcomes across development.
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15
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Hassan R, Schmidt LA. Inhibitory control, dyadic social behavior, and mental health difficulties in preschoolers. Child Dev 2021; 93:e251-e265. [PMID: 34967447 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although inhibitory control is typically associated with positive outcomes, several theoretical frameworks suggest that too little and too much inhibitory control may be problematic. Using a longitudinal, latent variable approach, we examined whether a multi-method index of inhibitory control at Time 1 (N = 105, 52 girls, Mage = 3.50 years, 87% White) predicted observed social behavior with an unfamiliar peer and maternal report of preschoolers' mental health difficulties at Time 2 (Mage = 4.76 years). Data collection occurred between 2017 and 2019. Inhibitory control displayed a U-shaped relation with prospective outcomes, where high and low levels of inhibitory control were associated with higher levels of avoidant social behaviors and mental health difficulties. The results are discussed in the context of under- and over-regulation in understanding individual differences in children's social behavior and mental health difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raha Hassan
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Louis A Schmidt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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16
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Morneau-Vaillancourt G, Andlauer TFM, Ouellet-Morin I, Paquin S, Brendgen MR, Vitaro F, Gouin JP, Séguin JR, Gagnon É, Cheesman R, Forget-Dubois N, Rouleau GA, Turecki G, Tremblay RE, Côté SM, Dionne G, Boivin M. Polygenic scores differentially predict developmental trajectories of subtypes of social withdrawal in childhood. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2021; 62:1320-1329. [PMID: 34085288 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children who consistently withdraw from social situations face increased risk for later socioemotional difficulties. Twin studies indicate that genetic factors substantially account for the persistence of social withdrawal over time. However, the molecular genetic etiology of chronic courses of social wariness and preference for solitude, two dimensions of social withdrawal, remains undocumented. The objectives of the present study were (a) to identify high-risk trajectories for social wariness and preference for solitude in childhood and (b) to examine whether falling on these high-risk trajectories can be predicted by specific polygenic scores for mental health traits and disorders and by a general polygenic predisposition to these traits. METHODS Teachers evaluated 971 genotyped children at five occasions (age 6 to 12 years) from two prospective longitudinal studies, the Quebec Newborn Twin Study and the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Developmental trajectories for social wariness and preference for solitude were identified. We tested whether polygenic scores for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, depression, loneliness, and subjective well-being, as well as a general mental health genetic risk score derived across these traits, were associated with the developmental trajectories. RESULTS Polygenic scores differentially predicted social wariness and preference for solitude. Only the loneliness polygenic score significantly predicted the high trajectory for social wariness. By contrast, the general mental health genetic risk score factor was associated with the trajectory depicting high-chronic preference for solitude. CONCLUSIONS Distinct associations were uncovered between the polygenic scores, social wariness, and preference for solitude.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Till F M Andlauer
- Department of Neurology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Stéphane Paquin
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Mara R Brendgen
- Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Frank Vitaro
- École de psychoéducation, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Jean R Séguin
- Département de psychiatrie et d'addictologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Éloi Gagnon
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Rosa Cheesman
- Promenta Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Guy A Rouleau
- Institut-hôpital neurologique de Montréal, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gustavo Turecki
- Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Richard E Tremblay
- Départements de pédiatrie et de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sylvana M Côté
- Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ginette Dionne
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Michel Boivin
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
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17
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Suarez GL, Morales S, Miller NV, Penela EC, Chronis-Tuscano A, Henderson HA, Fox NA. Examining a developmental pathway from early behavioral inhibition to emotion regulation and social anxiety: The moderating role of parenting. Dev Psychol 2021; 57:1261-1273. [PMID: 34591570 PMCID: PMC8496912 DOI: 10.1037/dev0001225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
We examined the longitudinal relation between behavioral inhibition (BI) and social anxiety symptoms and behavior and the mediating role of emotion regulation (ER). Moreover, we investigated the influence of parenting behavior on the development of ER strategies. Participants were 291 children (135 male) followed longitudinally from 2 to 13 years. Mothers were predominantly well educated and non-Hispanic Caucasian. Children were screened for BI using maternal report and observational measures (ages 2 and 3), parenting behavior was observed while children and their mothers participated in a fear-eliciting task (age 3), ER strategies were observed while children completed a disappointment task (age 5), and socially anxious behavior was measured via multimethod assessment at 10 and 13 years. Children who exhibited high BI in early childhood exhibited more socially anxious behavior across ages 10 and 13, and there was a significant indirect effect of BI on socially anxious behavior through ER strategies. Children who were high in BI demonstrated less engaged ER strategies during the disappointment task, which in turn predicted more socially anxious behavior. Furthermore, parenting behavior moderated the pathway linking early BI and ER strategies to social anxiety outcomes such that children who exhibited high BI and who received more affectionate/oversolicitous behavior from their mother displayed less engaged ER strategies and more socially anxious behavior than children low in BI or low in oversolicitous parenting behaviors. These findings expand on our understanding of the role that ER strategies and parenting play in the developmental pathway linking early BI to future social anxiety outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela L. Suarez
- Department of Psychology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Santiago Morales
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Natalie V. Miller
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | - Nathan A. Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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18
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Toddler dysregulated fear predicts continued risk for social anxiety symptoms in early adolescence. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:252-263. [PMID: 32115004 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579419001743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Identifying early risk factors for the development of social anxiety symptoms has important translational implications. Accurately identifying which children are at the highest risk is of critical importance, especially if we can identify risk early in development. We examined continued risk for social anxiety symptoms at the transition to adolescence in a community sample of children (n = 112) that had been observed for high fearfulness at age 2 and tracked for social anxiety symptoms from preschool through age 6. In our previous studies, we found that a pattern of dysregulated fear (DF), characterized by high fear in low threat contexts, predicted social anxiety symptoms at ages 3, 4, 5, and 6 years across two samples. In the current study, we re-evaluated these children at 11-13 years of age by using parent and child reports of social anxiety symptoms, parental monitoring, and peer relationship quality. The scores for DF uniquely predicted adolescents' social anxiety symptoms beyond the prediction that was made by more proximal measures of behavioral (e.g., kindergarten social withdrawal) and concurrent environmental risk factors (e.g., parental monitoring, peer relationships). Implications for early detection, prevention, and intervention are discussed.
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19
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Fox NA, Buzzell GA, Morales S, Valadez EA, Wilson M, Henderson HA. Understanding the Emergence of Social Anxiety in Children With Behavioral Inhibition. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:681-689. [PMID: 33353668 PMCID: PMC7954867 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament characterized in early childhood by distress to novelty and avoidance of unfamiliar people, and it is one of the best-known risk factors for the development of social anxiety. However, nearly 60% of children with BI do not go on to meet criteria for social anxiety disorder. In this review we present an approach to understanding differential developmental trajectories among children with BI. We review research using laboratory-based tasks that isolate specific attention processes that enhance versus mitigate risk for social anxiety among behaviorally inhibited children and studies that suggest that BI is associated with heightened detection of novelty or threat. Moreover, stimulus-driven control processes, which we term "automatic control," increase the probability that behaviorally inhibited children display socially reticent behavior and develop social anxiety. In contrast, goal-driven control processes, which we term "planful control," decrease risk for anxiety. We suggest that these three categories of processes (detection, automatic control, and planful control) function together to determine whether behaviorally inhibited children are able to flexibly regulate their initial reactions to novelty, and in turn, decrease risk for social anxiety. Although laboratory-based tasks have identified these processes underlying risk and resilience, the challenge is linking them to the emotions, thoughts, and behaviors of behaviorally inhibited children in real-world contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.
| | - George A Buzzell
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
| | - Santiago Morales
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Emilio A Valadez
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - McLennon Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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20
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Emerging Evidence for Putative Neural Networks and Antecedents of Pediatric Anxiety in the Fetal, Neonatal, and Infant Periods. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:672-680. [PMID: 33518264 PMCID: PMC8087150 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in youth and are associated with profound individual impairment and public health costs. Research shows that clinically significant anxiety symptoms manifest in preschool-aged children, and correlates of anxiety symptoms are observable in infancy. Yet, predicting who is at risk for developing anxiety remains an enduring challenge. Predictive biomarkers of anxiety are needed before school age when anxiety symptoms typically consolidate into diagnostic profiles. Increasing evidence indicates that early neural measures implicated in anxiety and anxious temperament may be incorporated with traditional measures of behavioral risk (i.e., behavioral inhibition) to provide more robust classification of pediatric anxiety problems. This review examines the phenomenology of anxiety disorders in early life, highlighting developmental research that interrogates the putative neurocircuitry of pediatric anxiety. First, we discuss enduring challenges in identifying and predicting risk for pediatric anxiety. Second, we summarize emerging evidence for putative neural antecedents and networks underlying risk for pediatric anxiety in the fetal, neonatal, and infant periods that represent novel potential avenues for risk identification and prediction. We focus on evidence examining the importance of early amygdala and extended amygdala circuitry development to the emergence of anxiety. Finally, we discuss the utility of integrating developmental psychopathology and neuroscience to facilitate future research and clinical work.
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21
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Zhou AM, Buss KA. Trajectories of internalizing symptoms in early childhood: Associations with maternal internalizing symptoms and child physiology. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1295-1308. [PMID: 33569780 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Research has shown that children's internalizing symptom development during early childhood are shaped by biopsychosocial processes including physiology and parental symptoms. However, associations between maternal internalizing symptoms, child physiology and trajectories of child internalizing symptoms are not well understood. We used growth curve models to examine how maternal internalizing symptoms, child physiology and the interaction between maternal internalizing symptoms and child physiology may be associated with trajectories of internalizing symptoms during early childhood. Mothers reported their children's internalizing symptoms when children were 3, 4, 5 and 6 years of age, and mothers self-reported their own internalizing symptoms when children were 3. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) was collected when children were 3.5-years-old. Results showed that there is a non-linear, quadratic trajectory across all participants from age 3 to 6. Maternal internalizing symptoms were not associated with children's internalizing symptoms at age 6, but were associated with both linear and quadratic change. Lower resting RSA was associated with greater increases in children's internalizing symptoms over time. Interactions between maternal internalizing symptoms and RSA were not associated with children's internalizing symptom development. The findings demonstrate that maternal internalizing symptoms and child physiology are independently associated with internalizing symptom development during early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Zhou
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Kristin A Buss
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
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22
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Vallorani A, Fu X, Morales S, LoBue V, Buss KA, Pérez-Edgar K. Variable- and person-centered approaches to affect-biased attention in infancy reveal unique relations with infant negative affect and maternal anxiety. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1719. [PMID: 33462275 PMCID: PMC7814017 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81119-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Affect-biased attention is an automatic process that prioritizes emotionally or motivationally salient stimuli. Several models of affect-biased attention and its development suggest that it comprises an individual's ability to both engage with and disengage from emotional stimuli. Researchers typically rely on singular tasks to measure affect-biased attention, which may lead to inconsistent results across studies. Here we examined affect-biased attention across three tasks in a unique sample of 193 infants, using both variable-centered (factor analysis; FA) and person-centered (latent profile analysis; LPA) approaches. Using exploratory FA, we found evidence for two factors of affect-biased attention: an Engagement factor and a Disengagement factor, where greater maternal anxiety was related to less engagement with faces. Using LPA, we found two groups of infants with different patterns of affect-biased attention: a Vigilant group and an Avoidant group. A significant interaction noted that infants higher in negative affect who also had more anxious mothers were most likely to be in the Vigilant group. Overall, these results suggest that both FA and LPA are viable approaches for studying distinct questions related to the development of affect-biased attention, and set the stage for future longitudinal work examining the role of infant negative affect and maternal anxiety in the emergence of affect-biased attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Vallorani
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Xiaoxue Fu
- University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | | | | | - Kristin A Buss
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Koraly Pérez-Edgar
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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23
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Anaya B, Vallorani A, Pérez-Edgar K. Dyadic behavioral synchrony between behaviorally inhibited and non-inhibited peers is associated with concordance in EEG frontal Alpha asymmetry and Delta-Beta coupling. Biol Psychol 2021; 159:108018. [PMID: 33450325 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral synchrony during social interactions is foundational for the development of social relationships. Behavioral inhibition (BI), characterized by wariness to social novelty and increased anxiety, may influence how children engage in moment-to-moment behavioral synchrony. EEG-derived frontal Alpha asymmetry and Delta-Beta coupling reflect approach-avoidance behavior and emotion regulation, respectively. We examined the relation between intradyadic behavioral synchrony in energy levels and peer gaze, BI, and EEG measures (N = 136, 68 dyads, MeanAge = 10.90 years) during unstructured and structured interactions. Energy levels were negatively synchronized when both children exhibited right Alpha asymmetry. If either child exhibited left Alpha asymmetry, the dyad exhibited more positive synchrony. Peer gaze was less synchronized during the unstructured task with left Alpha asymmetry. Greater positive Delta-Beta coupling in BI children was associated with more peer gaze synchrony. Peer gaze was asynchronous when BI children exhibited negative Delta-Beta coupling and their partner exhibited positive coupling.
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24
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Nikolić M, Majdandžić M, Colonnesi C, de Vente W, Möller E, Bögels S. The unique contribution of blushing to the development of social anxiety disorder symptoms: results from a longitudinal study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2020; 61:1339-1348. [PMID: 32080848 PMCID: PMC7754350 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Self-conscious emotional reactivity and its physiological marker - blushing has been proposed to be an etiological mechanism of social anxiety disorder (SAD), but so far, untested in longitudinal designs. This study tested, for the first time, whether self-conscious emotional reactivity (indexed as physiological blushing) contributes to the development of SAD symptoms over and above social behavioral inhibition (BI), which has been identified as the strongest predictor of SAD development in early childhood. METHODS One hundred fifteen children (45% boys) and their mothers and fathers participated at ages 2.5, 4.5, and 7.5 years. Social BI was observed at all time points in a stranger approach task, and physiological blushing (blood volume, blood pulse amplitude, and temperature increases) was measured during a public performance (singing) and watching back the performance at ages 4.5 and 7.5. Child early social anxiety was reported by both parents at 4.5 years, and SAD symptoms were diagnosed by clinicians and reported by both parents at 7.5 years. RESULTS Higher social BI at 2.5 and 4.5 years predicted greater social anxiety at 4.5 years, which, in turn, predicted SAD symptoms at 7.5 years. Blushing (temperature increase) at 4.5 years predicted SAD symptoms at 7.5 years over and above the influence of social BI and early social anxiety. CONCLUSIONS That blushing uniquely contributes to the development of SAD symptoms over and above social BI suggests two pathways to childhood SAD: one that entails early high social BI and an early onset of social anxiety symptoms, and the other that consists of heightened self-conscious emotional reactivity (i.e. blushing) in early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milica Nikolić
- Research Institute of Child Development and EducationUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Mirjana Majdandžić
- Research Institute of Child Development and EducationUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Cristina Colonnesi
- Research Institute of Child Development and EducationUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Wieke de Vente
- Research Institute of Child Development and EducationUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Eline Möller
- Research Institute of Child Development and EducationUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Susan Bögels
- Developmental PsychologyUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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25
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Buzzell GA, Morales S, Bowers ME, Troller‐Renfree SV, Chronis‐Tuscano A, Pine DS, Henderson HA, Fox NA. Inhibitory control and set shifting describe different pathways from behavioral inhibition to socially anxious behavior. Dev Sci 2020; 24:e13040. [DOI: 10.1111/desc.13040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Maureen E. Bowers
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program University of Maryland College Park MD USA
| | | | | | - Daniel S. Pine
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Bethesda MD USA
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26
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Poole KL, Santesso DL, Van Lieshout RJ, Schmidt LA. Frontal Brain Asymmetry and the Trajectory of Shyness Across the Early School Years. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 47:1253-1263. [PMID: 30715664 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-019-00513-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although resting right frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry has been linked to avoidance and withdrawal-related behaviors such as shyness in previous cross-sectional studies, relatively little research has examined the influence of frontal brain electrical activity on the development of shyness in children using a prospective, longitudinal study design. Here, we tested whether resting frontal EEG asymmetry predicted the trajectory of children's shyness across five assessments. Children were enrolled in the study during the summer prior to grade 1 (N = 37; Mage = 6.39 years, S.D. = 0.15 years), at which time resting frontal EEG activity and maternal report of children's shyness were collected. Mothers then reported on their child's shyness over another four follow-up assessments, spanning 2 years (winter of grade 1, summer prior to grade 2 entry, winter of grade 2, and summer prior to grade 3). Growth curve analysis revealed that children displaying greater relative right frontal EEG activity had lower levels of shyness relative to children exhibiting greater relative left frontal EEG activity at study enrollment (i.e., age 6), but displayed statistically significant linear increases in shyness across time, with the highest levels of shyness by the summer prior to grade 3 (i.e., age 8). There was, however, no relation between left frontal EEG asymmetry and change in shyness across time. These preliminary findings suggest that right frontal EEG asymmetry may reflect a biological diathesis for the growth of shyness during the early school years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristie L Poole
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Room 130, Psychology Building, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Diane L Santesso
- Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Ryan J Van Lieshout
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Louis A Schmidt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Room 130, Psychology Building, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
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27
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Poole KL, Cunningham CE, Schmidt LA. Trajectories of Observed Shyness and Psychosocial Adjustment in Children. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2020; 51:636-647. [PMID: 32020501 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-020-00962-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Shyness can manifest as inhibition, fear, and avoidance in the context of social novelty and situations of perceived social evaluation. In the present study, 130 children (Mage = 7.6 years, SD = 1.8) participated in a videotaped self-presentation task across three separate visits spanning approximately 3 years in early and middle childhood. Children's observed shyness was best characterized by two trajectories, including a high-stable class (19%) and a low-stable class (81%). Girls were more likely than boys to follow a pattern of high-stable observed shyness. Further, children in the high-stable observed shyness class were rated by parents and teachers as more socially anxious relative to children in the low-stable class, and boys in the high-stable observed shyness class were rated by their teachers as displaying more depressive symptoms relative to girls. These findings suggest that a subset of children display stable behavioral shyness, and this is correlated with psychosocial functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristie L Poole
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Room 130, Psychology Building, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Charles E Cunningham
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Louis A Schmidt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Room 130, Psychology Building, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
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Zeev-Wolf M, Levy J, Ebstein RP, Feldman R. Cumulative Risk on Oxytocin-Pathway Genes Impairs Default Mode Network Connectivity in Trauma-Exposed Youth. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:335. [PMID: 32528417 PMCID: PMC7256187 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Although the default mode network (DMN) is a core network essential for brain functioning, little is known about its developmental trajectory, particularly on factors associated with its coherence into a functional network. In light of adult studies indicating DMN's susceptibility to stress-related conditions, we examined links between variability on oxytocin-pathway genes and DMN connectivity in youth exposed to chronic war-related trauma Methods: Following a cohort of war-exposed children from early childhood, we imaged the brains of 74 preadolescents (age 11-13 years; 39 war-exposed) during rest using magnetoencephalography (MEG). A cumulative risk index on oxytocin-pathway genes was constructed by combining single nucleotide polymorphisms on five genes previously linked with social deficits and psychopathology; OXTR rs1042778, OXTR rs2254298, OXTRrs53576, CD38 rs3796863, and AVPR1A RS3. Avoidant response to trauma reminders in early childhood and anxiety disorders in late childhood were assessed as predictors of disruptions to DMN theta connectivity. Results: Higher vulnerability on oxytocin-pathway genes predicted greater disruptions to DMN theta connectivity. Avoidant symptoms in early childhood and generalized anxiety disorder in later childhood were related to impaired DMN connectivity. In combination, stress exposure, oxytocin-pathway genes, and stress-related symptoms explained 24.6% of the variance in DMN connectivity, highlighting the significant effect of stress on the maturing brain. Conclusions: Findings are the first to link the oxytocin system and maturation of the DMN, a core system sustaining autobiographical memories, alteration of intrinsic and extrinsic attention, mentalization, and sense of self. Results suggest that oxytocin may buffer the effects of chronic early stress on the DMN, particularly theta rhythms that typify the developing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maor Zeev-Wolf
- Department of Education, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Jonathan Levy
- Interdiscilinary Center Herzliya, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Herzliya, Israel
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Richard P. Ebstein
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Interdiscilinary Center Herzliya, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Herzliya, Israel
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
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29
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Harrewijn A, Abend R, Linke J, Brotman MA, Fox NA, Leibenluft E, Winkler AM, Pine DS. Combining fMRI during resting state and an attention bias task in children. Neuroimage 2020; 205:116301. [PMID: 31639510 PMCID: PMC6911838 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies typically focus on either resting state or task-based fMRI data. Prior research has shown that similarity in functional connectivity between rest and cognitive tasks, interpreted as reconfiguration efficiency, is related to task performance and IQ. Here, we extend this approach from adults to children, and from cognitive tasks to a threat-based attention task. The goal of the current study was to examine whether similarity in functional connectivity during rest and an attention bias task relates to threat bias, IQ, anxiety symptoms, and social reticence. fMRI was measured during resting state and during the dot-probe task in 41 children (M = 13.44, SD = 0.70). Functional connectivity during rest and dot-probe was positively correlated, suggesting that functional hierarchies in the brain are stable. Similarity in functional connectivity between rest and the dot-probe task only related to threat bias (puncorr < .03). This effect did not survive correction for multiple testing. Overall, children who allocate more attention towards threat also may possess greater reconfiguration efficiency in switching from intrinsic to threat-related attention states. Finally, functional connectivity correlated negatively across the two conditions of the dot-probe task. Opposing patterns of modulation of functional connectivity by threat-congruent and threat-incongruent trials may reflect task-specific network changes during two different attentional processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Harrewijn
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Rany Abend
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Julia Linke
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Melissa A Brotman
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, 3304 Benjamin Building, College Park, MD, 20742-1131, USA
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Anderson M Winkler
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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30
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Fu X, Nelson EE, Borge M, Buss KA, Pérez-Edgar K. Stationary and ambulatory attention patterns are differentially associated with early temperamental risk for socioemotional problems: Preliminary evidence from a multimodal eye-tracking investigation. Dev Psychopathol 2019; 31:971-988. [PMID: 31097053 PMCID: PMC6935016 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579419000427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral Inhibition (BI) is a temperament type that predicts social withdrawal in childhood and anxiety disorders later in life. However, not all BI children develop anxiety. Attention bias (AB) may enhance the vulnerability for anxiety in BI children, and interfere with their development of effective emotion regulation. In order to fully probe attention patterns, we used traditional measures of reaction time (RT), stationary eye-tracking, and recently emerging mobile eye-tracking measures of attention in a sample of 5- to 7-year-olds characterized as BI (N = 23) or non-BI (N = 58) using parent reports. There were no BI-related differences in RT or stationary eye-tracking indices of AB in a dot-probe task. However, findings in a subsample from whom eye-tracking data were collected during a live social interaction indicated that BI children (N = 12) directed fewer gaze shifts to the stranger than non-BI children (N = 25). Moreover, the frequency of gazes toward the stranger was positively associated with stationary AB only in BI, but not in non-BI, children. Hence, BI was characterized by a consistent pattern of attention across stationary and ambulatory measures. We demonstrate the utility of mobile eye-tracking as an effective tool to extend the assessment of attention and regulation to social interactive contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxue Fu
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Eric E. Nelson
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Marcela Borge
- Department of Learning and Performance Systems, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Kristin A. Buss
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Koraly Pérez-Edgar
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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31
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Clarkson T, Eaton NR, Nelson EE, Fox NA, Leibenluft E, Pine DS, Heckelman AC, Sequeira SL, Jarcho JM. Early childhood social reticence and neural response to peers in preadolescence predict social anxiety symptoms in midadolescence. Depress Anxiety 2019; 36:676-689. [PMID: 31140687 PMCID: PMC6679747 DOI: 10.1002/da.22910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early childhood social reticence (SR) and preadolescent social anxiety (SA) symptoms increase the risk for more severe SA in later adolescence. Yet, not all at-risk youth develop more severe SA. The emergence of distinct patterns of neural response to socially evocative contexts during pivotal points in development may help explain this discontinuity. We tested the extent to which brain function during social interactions in preadolescence influenced the effects of SA and early childhood SR on predicting SA symptoms in midadolescence. METHODS Participants (N = 53) were assessed for SR from ages 2 to 7. At age 11, SA symptoms were assessed and brain function was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as participants anticipated social evaluation from purported peers with a reputation for being unpredictable, nice, and mean. At age 13, SA symptoms were re-assessed. Moderated-mediation models tested the extent to which early childhood SR, preadolescent SA, and preadolescent brain function predicted midadolescent SA. RESULTS In individuals with preadolescent SA, the presence of early childhood SR and SR-linked differences in brain activation predicted more severe SA in midadolescence. Specifically, in those who exhibited preadolescent SA, greater early childhood SR was associated with enhanced bilateral insula engagement while anticipating unpredictable-versus-nice social evaluation in preadolescence, and more severe SA in midadolescence. CONCLUSIONS SR-linked neural responses to socially evocative peer interactions may predict more severe SA symptoms in midadolescence among individuals with greater preadolescent SA symptoms and childhood SR. This same pattern of neural response may not be associated with more severe SA symptoms in youth with only one risk factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tessa Clarkson
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Nicholas R Eaton
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Eric E Nelson
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
- Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | | | - Stefanie L Sequeira
- Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Johanna M Jarcho
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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32
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Troller-Renfree SV, Buzzell GA, Bowers ME, Salo V, Forman-Alberti A, Smith E, Papp LJ, McDermott JM, Pine DS, Henderson HA, Fox NA. Development of inhibitory control during childhood and its relations to early temperament and later social anxiety: unique insights provided by latent growth modeling and signal detection theory. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2019; 60:622-629. [PMID: 30775788 PMCID: PMC7289195 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children with the temperament of behavioral inhibition (BI) face increased risk for social anxiety. However, not all children with BI develop anxiety symptoms. Inhibitory control (IC) has been suggested as a moderator of the pathway between BI and social anxiety. This study uses longitudinal data to characterize development of IC and tests the hypothesis that IC moderates associations between early BI and later social anxiety symptoms. METHODS Children completed a Go/Nogo task at ages 5, 7, and 10 years as part of a longitudinal study of BI (measured at 2-3 years) and social anxiety symptoms (measured at 12 years). To assess IC development, response strategy (criterion) and inhibitory performance (d') were characterized using signal detection theory. Latent growth models were used to characterize the development of IC and examine relations among BI, IC parameters, and social anxiety symptoms. RESULTS IC response strategy did not change between 5 and 10 years of age, whereas IC performance improved over time. BI scores in toddlerhood predicted neither initial levels (intercept) nor changes (slope) in IC response strategy or IC performance. However, between ages 5 and 10, rate of change in IC performance, but not response strategy, moderated relations between BI and later parent-reported social anxiety symptoms. Specifically, greater age-related improvements in IC performance predicted higher levels of social anxiety in high BI children. CONCLUSIONS IC development in childhood occurs independent of BI levels. However, rapid increases in IC performance moderate risk for social anxiety symptoms in children with BI. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonya V. Troller-Renfree
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - George A. Buzzell
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Maureen E. Bowers
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Virginia Salo
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Alissa Forman-Alberti
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Elizabeth Smith
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | - Leanna J. Papp
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
| | | | - Daniel S. Pine
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Intramural Research Program, The National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | | | - Nathan A. Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
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Feola B, Armstrong K, Woodward ND, Heckers S, Blackford JU. Childhood temperament is associated with distress, anxiety and reduced quality of life in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Psychiatry Res 2019; 275:196-203. [PMID: 30925307 PMCID: PMC6872191 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is conceptualized as a neurodevelopmental disorder and pre-morbid differences in social function and cognition have been well-established. Less is known about pre-morbid temperament and personality. Inhibited temperament-the predisposition to respond to novelty with wariness, fear, or caution-is a premorbid risk factor for anxiety, depression, and substance use but is understudied in schizophrenia. Participants were patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (n = 166) and healthy controls (n = 180). Patients completed measures of childhood inhibited temperament, clinical symptoms (anxiety, depression, PANSS factors), and quality of life. Patients had significantly higher levels of inhibited temperament relative to healthy controls. In patients with schizophrenia, higher inhibited temperament was significantly associated with co-morbid anxiety disorders, greater anxiety and depression symptoms, higher PANSS Distress scores, lower PANSS Excitement scores, and lower quality of life. The current findings replicate and extend previous research with a larger sample and are consistent with vulnerability in an affective path to psychosis. In schizophrenia, higher inhibited temperament was associated with a cluster of mood and anxiety symptoms. Inhibited temperament was not associated with psychosis symptoms. Patients with high inhibited temperament may especially benefit from treatments that specifically target anxiety and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States
| | - Kristan Armstrong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States
| | - Neil D Woodward
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States; Research Service, Tennessee Valley HealthCare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, United States.
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Fu X, Pérez-Edgar K. Threat-related Attention Bias in Socioemotional Development: A Critical Review and Methodological Considerations. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2019; 51:31-57. [PMID: 32205901 PMCID: PMC7088448 DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cross-sectional evidence suggests that attention bias to threat is linked to anxiety disorders and anxiety vulnerability in both children and adults. However, there is a lack of developmental evidence regarding the causal mechanisms through which attention bias to threat might convey risks for socioemotional problems, such as anxiety. Gaining insights into this question demands longitudinal research to track the complex interplay between threat-related attention and socioemotional functioning. Developing and implementing reliable and valid assessments tools is essential to this line of work. This review presents theoretical accounts and empirical evidence from behavioral, eye-tracking, and neural assessments of attention to discuss our current understanding of the development of normative threat-related attention in infancy, as well as maladaptive threat-related attention patterns that may be associated with the development of anxiety. This review highlights the importance of measuring threat-related attention using multiple attention paradigms at multiple levels of analysis. In order to understand if and how threat-related attention bias in real-life, social interactive contexts can predict socioemotional development outcomes, this review proposes that future research cannot solely rely on screen-based paradigms but needs to extend the assessment of threat-related attention to naturalistic settings. Mobile eye-tracking technology provides an effective tool for capturing threat-related attention processes in vivo as children navigate fear-eliciting environments and may help us uncover more proximal bio-psycho-behavioral markers of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxue Fu
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, United States
| | - Koraly Pérez-Edgar
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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35
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Michalska KJ, Feldman JS, Ivie EJ, Shechner T, Sequeira S, Averbeck B, Degnan KA, Chronis-Tuscano A, Leibenluft E, Fox NA, Pine DS. Early-childhood social reticence predicts SCR-BOLD coupling during fear extinction recall in preadolescent youth. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 36:100605. [PMID: 30921634 PMCID: PMC6969221 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Threat circuit function may develop differently in children with different temperamental profiles, such as high vs. low social reticence. We relate individual differences in longitudinally assessed, observed socially reticent behavior to brain-physiology interactions during extinction recall. Childhood social reticence predicts a distinct pattern of hemodynamic-autonomic covariation when recalling extinguished threat and safety cues. Covariation patterns indicated that socially reticent youth had difficulty tracking safety as a function of stimulus resemblance to the safe stimulus.
Social Reticence (SR) is a temperament construct identified in early childhood that is expressed as shy, anxiously avoidant behavior and, particularly when stable, robustly associated with risk for anxiety disorders. Threat circuit function may develop differently for children high on SR than low on SR. We compared brain function and behavior during extinction recall in a sample of 11-to-15-year-old children characterized in early childhood on a continuum of SR. Three weeks after undergoing fear conditioning and extinction, participants completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging extinction recall task assessing memory and threat differentiation for conditioned stimuli. Whereas self-report and psychophysiological measures of differential conditioning, extinction, and extinction recall were largely similar across participants, SR-related differences in brain function emerged during extinction recall. Specifically, childhood SR was associated with a distinct pattern of hemodynamic-autonomic covariation in the brain when recalling extinguished threat and safety cues. SR and attention focus impacted associations between trial-by-trial variation in autonomic responding and in brain activation. These interactions occurred in three main brain areas: the anterior insular cortex (AIC), the anterior subdivision of the medial cingulate cortex (aMCC), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). This pattern of SCR-BOLD coupling may reflect selective difficulty tracking safety in a temperamentally at-risk population.
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Affiliation(s)
- K J Michalska
- University of California Riverside, Department of Psychology, Riverside, CA, USA.
| | - J S Feldman
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - E J Ivie
- University of Oregon, Department of Psychology, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - T Shechner
- University of Haifa, Department of Psychology, Haifa, Israel
| | - S Sequeira
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - B Averbeck
- The National Institute of Mental Health, Emotion and Development Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - K A Degnan
- The Catholic University of America, Department of Psychology, Washington D.C., USA
| | - A Chronis-Tuscano
- University of Maryland College Park, Department of Psychology, College Park, MD, USA
| | - E Leibenluft
- The National Institute of Mental Health, Emotion and Development Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - N A Fox
- University of Maryland College Park, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, College Park, MD, USA
| | - D S Pine
- The National Institute of Mental Health, Emotion and Development Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Abstract
This paper argues that investigators should consider replacing the popular practice of comparing individuals varying in gender, social class, and/or ethnicity on one or more continuous measures with a search for kinds of individuals defined by patterns of properties that include not only their values on outcome measures but also their gender, social class, and ethnicity. Investigators who believe that a particular predictor contributes to an outcome independent of the gender, class, or ethnicity of the participants often implement statistical procedures that promise to remove the contributions of the above categories. These analyses lead to misleading conclusions when the controlled category is correlated with the dependent measures. The final sections summarize the properties of genders, classes, and ethnic groups that make distinctive contributions to many psychological outcomes. The paper ends by noting that a society's ethical beliefs constitute a defensible basis for ignoring the biological properties associated with these categories in order to allow members of these groups access to whatever educational or occupational goals they desire.
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37
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Tang A, Van Lieshout RJ, Lahat A, Duku E, Boyle MH, Saigal S, Schmidt LA. Shyness Trajectories across the First Four Decades Predict Mental Health Outcomes. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 45:1621-1633. [PMID: 28120251 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-017-0265-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Although childhood shyness is presumed to predict mental health problems in adulthood, no prospective studies have examined these outcomes beyond emerging adulthood. As well, existing studies have been limited by retrospective and cross-sectional designs and/or have examined shyness as a dichotomous construct. The present prospective longitudinal study (N = 160; 55 males, 105 females) examined shyness trajectories from childhood to the fourth decade of life and mental health outcomes. Shyness was assessed using parent- and self-rated measures from childhood to adulthood, once every decade at ages 8, 12-16, 22-26, and 30-35. At age 30-35, participants completed a structured psychiatric interview and an experimental task examining attentional biases to facial emotions. We found 3 trajectories of shyness, including a low-stable trajectory (59.4%), an increasing shy trajectory from adolescence to adulthood (23.1%), and a decreasing shy trajectory from childhood to adulthood (17.5%). Relative to the low-stable trajectory, the increasing, but not the decreasing, trajectory was at higher risk for clinical social anxiety, mood, and substance-use disorders and was hypervigilant to angry faces. We found that the development of emotional problems in adulthood among the increasing shy trajectory might be explained in part by adverse peer and social influences during adolescence. Our findings suggest different pathways for early and later developing shyness and that not all shy children grow up to have psychiatric and emotional problems, nor do they all continue to be shy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alva Tang
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1.
| | - Ryan J Van Lieshout
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Ayelet Lahat
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
| | - Eric Duku
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Michael H Boyle
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Saroj Saigal
- Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Louis A Schmidt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
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Buss KA, Davis EL, Ram N, Coccia M. Dysregulated Fear, Social Inhibition, and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia: A Replication and Extension. Child Dev 2018; 89:e214-e228. [PMID: 28326533 PMCID: PMC5608616 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral inhibition indicates increased risk for development of social anxiety. Recent work has identified a pattern of dysregulated fear (DF), characterized by high fear in low-threat situations, that provides a more precise marker of developmental risk through early childhood. This study tested a new longitudinal sample of children (n = 124) from ages 24 to 48 months. Replicating prior findings, at 24 months, we identified a pattern of fearful behavior across contexts marked by higher fear to putatively low-threat situations. DF was associated with higher parental report of social inhibition at 24, 36, and 48 months. Extending prior findings, we observed differences in cardiac physiology during fear-eliciting situations, suggesting that the neurobiological underpinnings of DF relate to difficulty with regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nilam Ram
- The Pennsylvania State University
- German Institute for Economic Research (DIW)
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39
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Buzzell GA, Troller-Renfree SV, Barker TV, Bowman LC, Chronis-Tuscano A, Henderson HA, Kagan J, Pine DS, Fox NA. A Neurobehavioral Mechanism Linking Behaviorally Inhibited Temperament and Later Adolescent Social Anxiety. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2017; 56:1097-1105. [PMID: 29173744 PMCID: PMC5975216 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2017.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament identified in early childhood that is a risk factor for later social anxiety. However, mechanisms underlying the development of social anxiety remain unclear. To better understand the emergence of social anxiety, longitudinal studies investigating changes at behavioral neural levels are needed. METHOD BI was assessed in the laboratory at 2 and 3 years of age (N = 268). Children returned at 12 years, and an electroencephalogram was recorded while children performed a flanker task under 2 conditions: once while believing they were being observed by peers and once while not being observed. This methodology isolated changes in error monitoring (error-related negativity) and behavior (post-error reaction time slowing) as a function of social context. At 12 years, current social anxiety symptoms and lifetime diagnoses of social anxiety were obtained. RESULTS Childhood BI prospectively predicted social-specific error-related negativity increases and social anxiety symptoms in adolescence; these symptoms directly related to clinical diagnoses. Serial mediation analysis showed that social error-related negativity changes explained relations between BI and social anxiety symptoms (n = 107) and diagnosis (n = 92), but only insofar as social context also led to increased post-error reaction time slowing (a measure of error preoccupation); this model was not significantly related to generalized anxiety. CONCLUSION Results extend prior work on socially induced changes in error monitoring and error preoccupation. These measures could index a neurobehavioral mechanism linking BI to adolescent social anxiety symptoms and diagnosis. This mechanism could relate more strongly to social than to generalized anxiety in the peri-adolescent period.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, MD
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Gornik AE, Neal JW, Lo SL, Durbin CE. Connections between preschoolers' temperament traits and social behaviors as observed in a preschool setting. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/sode.12271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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41
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Abstract
Studies have shown that shy children born in the 1920s and 1950s had delayed marriage and parenthood, less stable careers, and lower occupational attainment as adults than other children. Do these effects still hold true? We examined demographic and social outcomes of children born between 1977 and 1982 in a prospective longitudinal study. We assessed shyness in childhood (age 8), adolescence (age 12-16), young adulthood (age 22-26), and adulthood (age 30-35), and derived three shyness trajectories (i.e., decreasing, increasing, and low-stable). Social and demographic outcomes for shy children who outgrew their shyness (i.e., decreasing trajectory) were indistinguishable from those who were consistently low on shyness measures. However, a shyness trajectory beginning in adolescence and increasing to adulthood was associated with poorer outcomes, similar to previous studies. These findings highlight the importance of multiple assessments in long-term longitudinal studies and the need to consider personality development within a generational context.
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Henderson HA, Wilson MJ. Attention Processes Underlying Risk and Resilience in Behaviorally Inhibited Children. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40473-017-0111-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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43
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Brooker RJ, Alto KM, Marceau K, Najjar R, Leve LD, Ganiban JM, Shaw DS, Reiss D, Neiderhiser JM. Early inherited risk for anxiety moderates the association between fathers' child-centered parenting and early social inhibition. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2016; 7:602-615. [PMID: 27572913 PMCID: PMC5102788 DOI: 10.1017/s204017441600043x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Studies of the role of the early environment in shaping children's risk for anxiety problems have produced mixed results. It is possible that inconsistencies in previous findings result from a lack of consideration of a putative role for inherited influences moderators on the impact of early experiences. Early inherited influences not only contribute to vulnerabilities for anxiety problems throughout the lifespan, but can also modulate the ways that the early environment impacts child outcomes. In the current study, we tested the effects of child-centered parenting behaviors on putative anxiety risk in young children who differed in levels of inherited vulnerability. We tested this using a parent-offspring adoption design and a sample in which risk for anxiety problems and parenting behaviors were assessed in both mothers and fathers. Inherited influences on anxiety problems were assessed as anxiety symptoms in biological parents. Child-centered parenting was observed in adoptive mothers and fathers when children were 9 months old. Social inhibition, an early temperament marker of anxiety risk, was observed at child ages 9 and 18 months. Inherited influences on anxiety problems moderated the link between paternal child-centered parenting during infancy and social inhibition in toddlerhood. For children whose birth parents reported high levels of anxiety symptoms, greater child-centered parenting in adoptive fathers was related to greater social inhibition 9 months later. For children whose birth parents reported low levels of anxiety symptoms, greater child-centered parenting in adoptive fathers was related to less social inhibition across the same period.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J Brooker
- 1Montana State University,Department of Psychology,Bozeman, MT,USA
| | - K M Alto
- 2University of Akron,Department of Psychology,Akron, OH,USA
| | - K Marceau
- 3Brown University,Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies,Providence, RI,USA
| | - R Najjar
- 1Montana State University,Department of Psychology,Bozeman, MT,USA
| | - L D Leve
- 4University of Oregon,Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services,Eugene, OR,USA
| | - J M Ganiban
- 5George Washington University,Department of Psychology,Washington DC,USA
| | - D S Shaw
- 6University of Pittsburgh,Department of Psychology,Pittsburgh, PA,USA
| | - D Reiss
- 7Yale Child Study Center,New Haven, CT,USA
| | - J M Neiderhiser
- 8The Pennsylvania State University,Department of Psychology,University Park, PA,USA
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Eggum-Wilkens ND, Reichenberg RE, Eisenberg N, Spinrad TL. Components of Effortful Control and Their Relations to Children's Shyness. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT 2016; 40:544-554. [PMID: 27840463 DOI: 10.1177/0165025415597792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Relations between children's (N = 213) mother-reported effortful control components (attention focusing, attention shifting, inhibitory control at 42 months; activational control at 72 months) and mother-reported shyness trajectories across 42, 54, 72, and 84 months of age were examined. In growth models, shyness decreased. Inhibitory control and attention shifting predicted higher levels and lower levels of shyness at 42 months (the intercept), respectively. Inhibitory control negatively, and attention shifting positively, predicted the shyness slope. Children with higher inhibitory control had relatively more rapid decreases in shyness. Children with higher attention shifting had relatively slower decreases in shyness. Activational control was negatively correlated with the shyness intercept. Effortful control components should be examined separately, rather than in combination, in relation to shyness in the future. If results are replicated, it may suggest that fostering attention shifting and activational control development may help prevent, or maintain low levels of, shyness during childhood.
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Clauss JA, Benningfield MM, Rao U, Blackford JU. Altered Prefrontal Cortex Function Marks Heightened Anxiety Risk in Children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2016; 55:809-16. [PMID: 27566122 PMCID: PMC5003319 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2016.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Anxiety disorders are prevalent and cause substantial disability. An important risk factor for anxiety disorders is inhibited temperament, the tendency to be shy and to avoid new situations. Inhibited adults have heightened amygdala activation and less flexible engagement of the prefrontal cortex (PFC); however, it remains unknown whether these brain alterations are present in inhibited children before the onset of anxiety disorders. METHOD A total of 37 children (18 inhibited and 19 uninhibited), 8 to 10 years of age, completed a task testing anticipation and viewing of threat stimuli and social stimuli in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Brain activation and functional connectivity were measured. RESULTS During the anticipation of threat stimuli, inhibited children failed to show the robust PFC engagement observed in the uninhibited children. In contrast, when viewing social stimuli, inhibited children had increased medial PFC and dorsolateral PFC activation. Connectivity analyses revealed a pattern of reduced connectivity between prefrontal and limbic regions and among distinct PFC regions in the inhibited group. The medial PFC emerged as a key hub of the altered PFC circuitry in inhibited children. CONCLUSION This study provides new evidence of a neural signature of vulnerability to anxiety disorders. By investigating both anticipation and response to images, we identified that high-risk, inhibited children have widespread alterations in PFC function and connectivity, characterized by an inability to proactively prepare for social threat combined with heightened reactivity to social stimuli. Thus, children at high risk for anxiety show significantly altered prefrontal cortical function and connectivity before the onset of anxiety disorders.
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The Moderating Role of Attention Biases in understanding the link between Behavioral Inhibition and Anxiety. J Exp Psychopathol 2016; 7:451-465. [PMID: 30498566 DOI: 10.5127/jep.052515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study aimed to extend the results of White et al. (2015) by examining the moderating role of attention biases at age 5 on the relations between Behavioral Inhibition (BI) during toddlerhood and anxiety symptoms at age 10. Children's BI at 2 and 3 years of age was measured using laboratory assessments, and attention bias towards threat was assessed using a dot-probe task at age 5. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to identify the probability for children's membership in an anxiety class, which reflected primary anxiety at age 10 that was not comorbid with symptoms of inattention. Maternal and self-report measures of children's mental health, collected via questionnaires and semi-structured diagnostic interviews, were used as indicators for the LCA. The results revealed that threat-related attention biases moderated the relation between BI and anxiety, such that BI positively predicted the probability of being in the anxiety class only when children had an attention bias towards threat. BI was unrelated to anxiety when children had no attention bias or an attention bias away from threat. These results indicated that attention biases during preschool may differentiate between inhibited children who are at heightened risk for anxiety later in childhood from those who are not. The results are discussed in a framework detailing the role of attention biases in increasing the sensitivity for anxiety-related problems in children who display high levels of BI during early childhood.
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Emergent patterns of risk for psychopathology: The influence of infant avoidance and maternal caregiving on trajectories of social reticence. Dev Psychopathol 2016; 27:1163-78. [PMID: 26439068 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579415000747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated the influential role of infant avoidance on links between maternal caregiving behavior and trajectories at risk for psychopathology. A sample of 153 children, selected for temperamental reactivity to novelty, was followed from infancy through early childhood. At 9 months, infant avoidance of fear-eliciting stimuli in the laboratory and maternal sensitivity at home were assessed. At 36 months, maternal gentle discipline was assessed at home. Children were repeatedly observed in the lab with an unfamiliar peer across early childhood. A latent class growth analysis yielded three longitudinal risk trajectories of social reticence behavior: a high-stable trajectory, a high-decreasing trajectory, and a low-increasing trajectory. For infants displaying greater avoidance, 9-month maternal sensitivity and 36-month maternal gentle discipline were both positively associated with membership in the high-stable social reticence trajectory, compared to the high-decreasing social reticence trajectory. For infants displaying lower avoidance, maternal sensitivity was positively associated with membership in the high-decreasing social reticence trajectory, compared to the low-increasing trajectory. Maternal sensitivity was positively associated with the high-stable social reticence trajectory when maternal gentle discipline was lower. These results illustrate the complex interplay of infant and maternal behavior in early childhood trajectories at risk for emerging psychopathology.
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Jarcho JM, Davis MM, Shechner T, Degnan KA, Henderson HA, Stoddard J, Fox NA, Leibenluft E, Pine DS, Nelson EE. Early-Childhood Social Reticence Predicts Brain Function in Preadolescent Youths During Distinct Forms of Peer Evaluation. Psychol Sci 2016; 27:821-35. [PMID: 27150109 DOI: 10.1177/0956797616638319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social reticence is expressed as shy, anxiously avoidant behavior in early childhood. With development, overt signs of social reticence may diminish but could still manifest themselves in neural responses to peers. We obtained measures of social reticence across 2 to 7 years of age. At age 11, preadolescents previously characterized as high (n = 30) or low (n = 23) in social reticence completed a novel functional-MRI-based peer-interaction task that quantifies neural responses to the anticipation and receipt of distinct forms of social evaluation. High (but not low) social reticence in early childhood predicted greater activity in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and left and right insula, brain regions implicated in processing salience and distress, when participants anticipated unpredictable compared with predictable feedback. High social reticence was also associated with negative functional connectivity between insula and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a region commonly implicated in affect regulation. Finally, among participants with high social reticence, negative evaluation was associated with increased amygdala activity, but only during feedback from unpredictable peers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna M Jarcho
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University
| | - Megan M Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
| | | | - Kathryn A Degnan
- Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park
| | | | - Joel Stoddard
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health
| | - Eric E Nelson
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University
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Buss KA, McDoniel M. Improving the Prediction of Risk for Anxiety Development in Temperamentally Fearful Children. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2016; 25:14-20. [PMID: 27134416 PMCID: PMC4846306 DOI: 10.1177/0963721415611601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Pediatric anxiety disorders are among the most common disorders in children and adolescence resulting in both short-term and long-term negative consequences across a variety of domains including social and academic. Early fearful temperament has emerged as a strong predictor of anxiety development in childhood; however, not all fearful children become anxious. The current article summarizes theory and evidence for heterogeneity in the identification of temperamentally fearful children and trajectories of risk for anxiety. The findings presented in this article reveal that identification of subgroups of fearful temperament improves prediction of who is at risk for developing anxiety problems.
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50
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Chun K, Capitanio JP. Developmental consequences of behavioral inhibition: a model in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Dev Sci 2015; 19:1035-1048. [PMID: 26307016 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In children, behavioral inhibition is characterized by a disposition to withdraw in the presence of strangers and novel situations. Later in life, behavioral inhibition can result in an increased risk for anxiety and depression and a decrease in social behavior. We selected rhesus monkeys that, during infancy, showed evidence of behavioral inhibition in response to separation, and contrasted them with non-inhibited peers. To understand the development of behavioral inhibition at juvenile age, we collected behavioral data in response to relocation; in response to a human intruder challenge; and in naturalistic outdoor field corrals. At 4 years of age (young adulthood), we again collected behavioral data in the outdoor field corrals to understand the adult social consequences of behavioral inhibition. We also included sex, dominance rank, and number of available kin in our analyses. Finally, to understand the consistency in behavior in behaviorally inhibited animals, we conducted exploratory analyses contrasting behaviorally inhibited animals that showed high vs. low durations of non-social behaviors as adults. At juvenile age, behaviorally inhibited animals continued to show behavioral differences in the novel testing room and during the human intruder challenge, generally showing evidence of greater anxiety and emotionality compared to non-inhibited controls. In their outdoor corrals, behaviorally inhibited juveniles spent more time alone and less time in proximity and grooming with mother and other adult females. In young adulthood, we found that behavioral inhibition was not related to time spent alone. We did find that duration of time alone in adulthood was related to time alone exhibited as juveniles; sex, dominance rank, or the number of kin were not influential in adult non-social duration, either as main effects or as moderators. Finally, exploratory analyses revealed that behaviorally inhibited females that were more sociable (less time spent alone) as adults had spent more time grooming as juveniles, suggesting that high-quality social interaction at a young age might mitigate the social consequences of behavioral inhibition. Overall, we believe that the many similarities with the human data that we found suggest that this monkey model of naturally occurring behavioral inhibition can be valuable for understanding social development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Chun
- California National Primate Research Center, USA. .,Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA.
| | - John P Capitanio
- California National Primate Research Center, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA
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