Shy, Happy, Calm, and Controlled: Temperament Correlates of Fewer Internalizing Behaviors in Shy Toddlers

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Social, Emotional, Personality

Abstract

Shyness is characterized by fear and anxiety around new people. Shyness in toddlerhood is a predictor of internalizing problems and poor social outcomes (Rubin et al., 2007). Yet not all children who are shy as toddlers show similar risk (Buss & McDoniel, 2016). Toddlers who showed dysregulated fear in social situations that are low in threat and which other children enjoy had greater parent-reported anxious symptoms in toddlerhood and later in childhood (Buss et al., 2018). Less is known regarding traits that alter trajectories away from internalizing problems. Shy children’s wariness and fear in social settings (high avoidance motivation) is paired with a desire to engage (high approach motivation; Coplan et al., 2004). If fear is well-regulated, or if approach is especially appealing, shy children may overcome their fear and anxiety to approach and experience and learn from social interactions. The present study considered temperament traits associated with regulation (inhibitory control) and traits that may make approach more attractive (positive affect, activity level) in relation to internalizing behaviors in a sample of toddlers identified by parent-report as shy.

Fifty-five 21-24-month-old children (22 boys; Mage = 23.33 months) pre-selected for parent-reported shyness (+1 SD on the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire social fear subscale; Goldsmith, 1996) were observed during laboratory tasks designed to measure shyness (being introduced to a female stranger; 5 min), activity level (free play with attractive toys; 3 min), positive affect (watching a toy car run down a tower; 2 min), and inhibitory control (a snack delay task; 3 min). Child behaviors during tasks were measured according to Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery – Toddler Version protocol (Goldsmith & Buss, 2000) by trained coders. Composite scores were formed to reflect the frequency, duration, and latency of target behaviors (alphas = .66-96). Children’s adjustment was measured through parent-reported internalizing behaviors (30 items, alpha = .83) on the Infant-Toddler Social & Emotional Assessment (ITSEA; Briggs-Gowan & Carter, 1998). Aligned with SRCD’s strategic goal of integrating diversity, this sample was ethnically and racially diverse, with 55% percent of toddlers identified by their parent as Hispanic or Latino. Thirty-seven percent of toddlers were identified as White, 8% as Asian, 8% as Black, 20% as two or more races, and 28% as “Other” (all but one child was Hispanic or Latino).

Regression analyses predicted internalizing behaviors from activity level, positive affect, and inhibitory control, alone and in interaction with shyness, while controlling for child gender. Results are reported in Table 1. Activity level and shyness were positively associated with internalizing behaviors, and inhibitory control and positive affect were negatively associated with internalizing behaviors. The main effects of inhibitory control and shyness were qualified by a significant interaction. Shyness was associated with more internalizing behaviors among children low in inhibitory control but not among children high in inhibitory control (see Figure 1).

The present findings, aligned with prior work (Almas et al., 2011; Eggum-Wilkens et al., 2016), suggest that positive affect and inhibitory control may serve as protective factors for shy toddlers, lessening risk for internalizing problems.

Authors

• Jessica Stoltzfus Grady, University of the Pacific
  Presenting Author

• Jocelyn Camargo, University of the Pacific
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephany Barajas, University of the Pacific
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kajal Patel, University of the Pacific
  Non-Presenting Author