What Environmental Factors Contribute to the Development of Anxiety in Temperamentally Inhibited Children? Insight From Animal Research Models

Abstract

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent and costly mental disorders. A temperament style known as behavioral inhibition has been strongly linked to the later development of anxiety disorders. Behavioral inhibition appears early in toddlerhood and is characterized by extreme wariness in novel situations, particularly social situations. Although behavioral inhibition is relatively stable, not all behaviorally inhibited children develop an anxiety disorder. Environmental factors may contribute to the stability of behavioral inhibition, so identifying them can inform interventions to decrease the development of anxiety within this high-risk population. Scientific research using animal research models has identified both maternal and nonmaternal factors that may contribute to behavioral inhibition. High-quality maternal care, as well as exposure to new non–maternal care environments, particularly early in life, may buffer against the later development of anxiety in behaviorally inhibited children. Here, parallels are drawn between scientific literature from both animals and humans. Policy implications are briefly discussed.