Multifaceted origins of child social anxiety: assessing temperamental and psychological vulnerabilities

Rowsell, Marsha Rose (2013) Multifaceted origins of child social anxiety: assessing temperamental and psychological vulnerabilities. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to assess youth temperamental and psychological variables that interact in the expression of social anxiety. Specifically, this study examined whether significant associations exist between a) behavioural inhibition system (BIS) sensitivity and social anxiety, negative affect and social anxiety, and positive affect and social anxiety, and b) whether parental control moderates the predicted relationships between BIS sensitivity and child social anxiety, negative affect and child social anxiety, and positive affect and child social anxiety. Finally, this study examined c) whether parental expressiveness moderates the predicted relationship between child social anxiety and positive affect. BIS sensitivity, positive affect, and negative affect were assessed in a non-clinical sample of children aged 9 to 13. Parental control and expressiveness were assessed in one of each of the children's parents. As predicted, BIS sensitivity and negative affect were both significantly and positively correlated with social anxiety, and parental control moderated the BIS sensitivity-social anxiety relationship. In contrast with predictions, the negative affect-social anxiety relationship was not moderated by parental control and positive affect was not significantly correlated with social anxiety. This study highlights some important implications of these findings as well as some possible limitations. Future directions are discussed.

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