Poster #57 - From Shy to Scared: Examining Moderators of the Association Between Child Shyness and Internalizing Problems

• In Event: 2-110 - Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Section - Developmental Psychopathology

Integrative Statement

Links between child shyness and internalizing problems are well-established; however, literature suggests that some children who are high in shyness and related characteristics (e.g., behavioral inhibition) are at greater risk for maladjustment than others (for a review, see Buss & McDoniel, 2016). The present study examined how child- (i.e., emotion and physiological regulation), parent- (i.e., maternal shyness), and family-level (i.e., cohesion) factors interact with child shyness to either confer greater risk for, or buffer against, internalizing problems.

This cross-sectional study included a racially and economically diverse sample of 108 mothers (Mage = 30.68 years, SDage = 6.06,) and their preschool-age biological children (Mage = 3.50 years, SDage = .51, 61% boys). Nearly half (47%) of the women identified as Black and most families (52%) indicated they had a total household income of less than $30,000. Mothers filled out the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (Rothbart, Ahadi, Hershey, & Fisher, 2001) regarding their children’s shyness, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Expanded Form (Watson & Clark, 1999) about their own shyness, the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000) to indicate their children’s internalizing problems, the Emotion Regulation Checklist (Shields & Cicchetti, 1997) to rate their children’s emotion regulation, and the Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1994) regarding the degree of cohesion (i.e., support) family members provide for one another. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) data was collected during a 4-minute baseline task and mean baseline RSA served as an indicator of children’s physiological regulation.

Children’s physiological, b = 1.22, t = 2.58, p < .05, 95% CI [.28, 2.16], and emotion, b = -.31, t = -2.22, p < .05, 95% CI [-.58, -.03], regulation served as significant moderators of the positive association between child shyness and internalizing problems. The relation between child shyness and internalizing problems was only significant for children low in emotion regulation. Children who were high in physiological regulation exhibited the lowest levels of internalizing problems when child shyness was low and the highest levels of problems when shyness was high.

Maternal shyness significantly moderated the positive association between child shyness and internalizing problems, b = .59, t = 2.52, p < .05, 95% CI [.13, 1.06], such that the relation between child shyness and internalizing problems only held for children whose mothers were also high in shyness.

Lastly, family cohesion significantly moderated the positive association between child shyness and internalizing problems, b = -.85, t = -2.02, p < .05, 95% CI [-1.68, -.01], such that shyness was only related to internalizing problems among children from families who were low in cohesion.

Results highlight key child-, parent-, and family-levels factors to target in prevention and early intervention programs aimed at reducing the onset or escalation of internalizing problems among shy children.

Authors

• Molly Davis, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Kara West, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Cynthia Suveg, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author