From Maternal Shyness to Adolescent Social Anxiety

• In Event: Parental and Child Influences on the Transmission and Development of Anxiety

Abstract

Although social anxiety is among the most prevalent mental health problems in adolescence and has debilitating life consequences (Kessler et al., 2005), it is often unrecognized due to its comorbidity with other disorders such as generalized anxiety. Thus, understanding the unique developmental pathways to social anxiety is critical for improving its prevention. Maternal shyness assessed in early childhood may be a unique factor that contributes to the development of social anxiety not only due to possible genetic transmission, but because it may shape parental socialization of social fear and anxiety. Specifically, mothers high in the personality trait of shyness may model more shy/anxious behaviors, reinforce children’s socially wary and anxious behaviors, and provide fewer opportunities to their children to socialize with others, which may lead to greater social wariness in childhood and social anxiety in adolescence. Here, we examined the direct and indirect pathways from maternal shyness at age 4 to adolescent social anxiety at age 15 through social wariness at age 7.

Participants were 291 children (54% female) and their mothers who were selected for a longitudinal study based on infant temperament. Mothers rated their own shyness on the Cheek and Buss Inventory when their children were 4 years old. Child social wariness was observed in the laboratory during an unstructured free-play social interaction task with an unfamiliar peer at 4 and 7 years. Adolescent social anxiety and generalized anxiety were assessed using parent-report and adolescent-report on the Screen or Child Anxiety Related Disorders, and clinical diagnostic interviews at age 15.

Structural equation modeling was used. As reported in Figure 1, two separate latent variables for social anxiety and generalized anxiety were constructed using indicators of child-report, parent-report, and clinical diagnosis at age 15. Social anxiety and generalized anxiety at age 15 were associated positively (β =.78, p < .001). Maternal shyness at 4 years was positively associated with adolescent social anxiety (β =.26, p = .007) but not generalized anxiety at age 15 (β =.17, p =.11). Higher levels of maternal shyness at age 4 predicted greater social wariness at age 7 (β =.26, p<.001), controlling for social wariness at age 4. Social wariness was related to social anxiety (β =.28, p=.007), but not generalized anxiety (β = .02, p = .95). Social wariness at age 7 partially mediated the association between maternal shyness at 4 years and child social anxiety at 15 (β =.07, 95%CI=.002-.142, p = .012).

This study identifies unique developmental pathways to social anxiety that are not shared with generalized anxiety. Specifically, maternal shyness in early childhood contributed to adolescent social anxiety both directly and indirectly through childhood social wariness. Mothers high in shyness may contribute to the development of social anxiety through parenting behaviors that may facilitate children’s social fear learning. Our findings have implications for identification of individuals who may be at greater risk for developing social anxiety in adolescence. Reducing maternal shyness and/or children’s social wariness with unfamiliar peers may help prevent the development of social anxiety in adolescence.

Authors

• Selin Zeytinoglu, University of Maryland - College Park
  Presenting Author

• Keara Neuman, Florida International University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Heather Henderson, University of Waterloo
  Non-Presenting Author

• Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, University of Maryland, College Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Daniel S. Pine, National Institutes of Health
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nathan A Fox, University of Maryland - College Park
  Non-Presenting Author