title: Behavioural inhibition and symptoms of anxiety and depression: is there a specific relationship with social phobia?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between tendencies towards different mental health problems assessed via questionnaires (social phobia, agoraphobia, general anxiety/panic, depression), the two latent dimensions of behavioural inhibition (childhood social/school fears, non-social fears/ illness), and sensory-processing sensitivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional design was employed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Volunteer participants (N = 234) from anxiety and depression self-help organizations completed five mailed questionnaires. These were the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory II and Beck Anxiety Inventory; the Highly Sensitive Person Scale, a measure of trait sensitivity to environmental stimuli; and the Retrospective Self-Report of Inhibition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher levels of anxiety, but not depression, were associated with increased self-reported sensitivity to environmental stimuli. Recalled childhood social/school fears were related to elevated scores on measures of social phobia and depression, while recalled non-social fears/illness were not associated with any index of psychopathology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results extend those of previous research by suggesting specific patterns of relationships of both sensitivity to environmental stimuli and behavioural inhibition with symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is suggested that in investigating long-term outcome, prospective behavioural inhibition studies would benefit from examining the temporal corollaries of the underlying social and non-social dimensions. Sample and design limitations are discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology & Counselling, University of Surrey Roehampton, London, UK. jo@janeal.freeserve.co.uk
authors.forename: Jo Anne
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Neal
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Edelmann
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glachan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors