Does shy-inhibited temperament in childhood lead to anxiety problems in adolescence?
OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationships between shy-inhibited temperament in childhood and anxiety problems in early adolescence using a prospective, longitudinal data set from a large community sample.


METHODS
Relationships between shyness ratings on age-appropriate temperament scales and anxiety problems were analyzed, looking both forward and backward in time from infancy to adolescence.


RESULTS
Forty-two percent of children rated as shy on 6 or more occasions over 8 surveys in childhood had anxiety problems in adolescence, compared with 11% who were never shy. Persistence of shyness and its presence in middle childhood increased risk for anxiety. A highly reactive temperament added to shyness did not increase the risk for anxiety. Few children with an anxiety diagnosis in early adolescence had a history of shyness.


CONCLUSIONS
Prediction from childhood shyness to adolescent anxiety disorder is modest but clinically meaningful in a community sample. However, most shy children did not develop an anxiety disorder and most adolescents with anxiety disorders had not been especially shy.
Prior
M
M
Department of Psychology, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. priorm@cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au
Smart
D
D
Sanson
A
A
Oberklaid
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D016015:Logistic Models; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012792:Shyness; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013694:Temperament