Association of behavioral inhibition with hair pigmentation in a European sample.
Behavioral inhibition, a temperamental trait signalling a predisposition to childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders, is slightly more frequent in America among Caucasian children having blue irises. This paper examines a community sample of 101 German toddlers assessed for behavioral inhibition in a standardized laboratory procedure. Hair pigmentation was found to be significantly associated with behavioral inhibition in the sense that blond children exhibited higher fear scores. As in American samples, blue-eyed children had a higher fear score than did other children, but this difference was not statistically significant.
Moehler
Eva
E
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Blumenstr. 8, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany. Eva_Moehler@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Kagan
Jerome
J
Brunner
Romuald
R
Wiebel
Angelika
A
Kaufmann
Claudia
C
Resch
Franz
F
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005060:Europe; D005127:Eye Color; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006200:Hair Color / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D013694:Temperament