Dysregulated Fear, Social Inhibition, and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia: A Replication and Extension.
Behavioral inhibition indicates increased risk for development of social anxiety. Recent work has identified a pattern of dysregulated fear (DF), characterized by high fear in low-threat situations, that provides a more precise marker of developmental risk through early childhood. This study tested a new longitudinal sample of children (n = 124) from ages 24 to 48 months. Replicating prior findings, at 24 months, we identified a pattern of fearful behavior across contexts marked by higher fear to putatively low-threat situations. DF was associated with higher parental report of social inhibition at 24, 36, and 48 months. Extending prior findings, we observed differences in cardiac physiology during fear-eliciting situations, suggesting that the neurobiological underpinnings of DF relate to difficulty with regulation.
The Pennsylvania State University.
Kristin A
KA
Buss
University of California, Riverside.
Elizabeth L
EL
Davis
The Pennsylvania State University.|German Institute for Economic Research (DIW).
Nilam
N
Ram
University of California, San Francisco.
Michael
M
Coccia
D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D065809:Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia / Q000502:physiology*; D000068356:Self-Control; D012919:Social Behavior