Behavioral Inhibition and Childhood Social Anxiety: the Role of Attentional Control

• Main Authors: Fu-Huai Lo, 羅復懷
• Other Authors: Chi-Wen Liang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/me3349

碩士 === 中原大學 === 心理學研究所 === 105 === 　　Background and purpose: Anxiety has become a serious problem of mental health in childhood and adolescence, of which social anxiety is the most common problem and has a great and broad impact on an individual’s life.The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition(DSM-5) has suggested that behavioral inhibition is one of risk factors in social anxiety. However, few research has explored the mechanism underlying the development of social anxiety in children with childbood high levels of behavioral inhibition. Degnan and Fox(2007) proposed the possible pathway from behavioral inhibition to anxiety disorders. They assumed that executive functions mediated the relationship between behavioral inhibition and anxiety disorders. Although Degnan and Fox''s model didn''t describe which component of executive functionsis assumed to be a mediator between behavioral inhibition and social anxiety, previous research has suggested that socially anxious individuals’ threat-related attentional bias may be associate with impaired attentional control, which is one of the important component of executive functions. Therefore, this study aims to explore whether the attentional control would mediate the relationship between behavioral inhibition and social anxiety in children. Method: A group of 343 senior elementary students completed the Chinese version of behavioral inhibition scale, child version of attentional control scale, and child version of social anxiety scale to investigate the relationships between the behavioral inhibition, attentional control, and childhood social anxiety. Result: (1)Both the Chinese version of behavioral inhibition scale and child version of attentional control scale were shown to have good reliability and validity. (2) High levels of behavioral inhibition predicted higher social anxiety. (3) High levels of behavioral inhibition predicted weaker attentional control. (4) Weak attentional control predicted higher social anxiety. (5) Attentional control partially mediated the relationship between behavioral inhibition and childhood social anxiety. (6) Weak attentional focusing rather than weak attentional shifting predicted higher childhood social anxiety. (7) Attentional focusing partially mediated the relationship between behavioral inhibition and social anxiety. Discussion: Based on above findings, clinical applications and future research directions were discussed.