1. Can Behaviorally Inhibited Preschoolers Make Friends?
- Author
-
Fleece, Hailey, Wagner, Nicholas J., Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea, Smith, Kelly A., Novick, Danielle R., Druskin, Lindsay R., Shakiba, Nila, Danko, Christina M., and Rubin, Kenneth H.
- Subjects
- *
FEAR , *PARENTS , *T-test (Statistics) , *RESEARCH funding , *SCIENTIFIC observation , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *CHI-squared test , *TEACHERS , *SOCIAL skills , *STATISTICS , *CONFIDENCE intervals , *CHILD behavior , *FRIENDSHIP , *SOCIAL anxiety , *REGRESSION analysis , *PSYCHOSOCIAL factors - Abstract
Preschoolers who display extremely inhibited behavior are at risk for the development of anxiety disorders. However, behavioral inhibition (BI) is a multifaceted characteristic. Some children with BI are fearful when confronted by unfamiliar adults, peers, and objects; others are fearful when separated from their parents. In the present study, we examined specific features of BI that predicted observed friendship formation among preschoolers who are behaviorally inhibited. We also examined whether teacher ratings of classroom behaviors predicted friendship formation. Sixty highly inhibited children (35 female, Mage = 52.57 months) were observed during eight weekly free-play sessions with initially unfamiliar inhibited peers. Free-play periods occurred before weekly intervention sessions for children with BI and their parents. An observational protocol was developed to identify children who made a friend during the eight weekly sessions. Before the first session, different subtypes of BI were assessed by parents; preschool teachers assessed the children's classroom behaviors with familiar peers. Twenty-six children met the criteria for having made and kept a friend. Probit regression analyses revealed that parent ratings of BI among unfamiliar peers and teacher ratings of children's social anxiety before the intervention were associated with a decreased probability of making a friend. No evidence was found linking children's responses to the intervention and friendship formation. Results suggest that extremelyinhibited preschoolers are capable of making friends. Implications for future research and intervention efforts that focus on individual differences of children with BI are discussed. Public Significance Statement: Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament construct reflecting a child's expression of anxiety, distress, or wariness when in the company of unfamiliar people, objects, or situations. In the present study, we found that preschoolers high on BI who were able to establish a friendship with an initially unfamiliar peer were those who were less anxious when among familiar classmates than those who were unable to make a friend. Moreover, children whose inhibition tendencies were present when among unfamiliar people rather than when faced with unfamiliar objects or situations were less likely to establish a friendship. Our findings suggest that (a) BI is a multifaceted construct and (b) those preschoolers with BI who are socially anxious and who have difficulty when introduced to unfamiliar age-mates would do well to participate in interventions that are focused on the development of social skills and the regulation of wariness when in the peer group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF