Premium
Infant Attachment Security and Early Childhood Behavioral Inhibition Interact to Predict Adolescent Social Anxiety Symptoms
Author(s) -
LewisMorrarty Erin,
Degnan Kathryn A.,
ChronisTuscano Andrea,
Pine Daniel S.,
Henderson Heather A.,
Fox Nathan A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12336
Subject(s) - psychology , anxiety , behavioral inhibition , developmental psychology , insecure attachment , novelty , longitudinal study , social relation , social anxiety , clinical psychology , association (psychology) , attachment theory , exploratory research , psychiatry , psychotherapist , medicine , social psychology , pathology , sociology , anthropology
Insecure attachment and behavioral inhibition ( BI ) increase risk for internalizing problems, but few longitudinal studies have examined their interaction in predicting adolescent anxiety. This study included 165 adolescents (ages 14–17 years) selected based on their reactivity to novelty at 4 months. Infant attachment was assessed with the Strange Situation. Multimethod BI assessments were conducted across childhood. Adolescents and their parents independently reported on anxiety. The interaction of attachment and BI significantly predicted adolescent anxiety symptoms, such that BI and anxiety were only associated among adolescents with histories of insecure attachment. Exploratory analyses revealed that this effect was driven by insecure‐resistant attachment and that the association between BI and social anxiety was significant only for insecure males. Clinical implications are discussed.