Young children with fearful temperaments have been a major focus of research on individual differences because these children are believed to be at risk for the development of internalizing problems, such as anxiety disorders. Research and theory on the etiology of these disorders has focused, in part, on individual differences in the intensity of fear behaviors. However, the mechanisms by which individual differences in fear put children at risk for developing behavioral problems have not been fully established. This proposal focuses on a model that posits the dysregulation of fear behavior as one potential mechanism to the development of internalizing problems. Historically, research on extremely fearful children has focused on observations during a limited variety of threatening contexts, situations in which most children are expected to show some level of fear. However, extreme fear during a fear-eliciting context may or may not reflect dysregulation. Therefore, the proposed study addresses whether different novel contexts, varying in their level of threat, result in an average pattern of change among all children, and individual patterns of change in the expression of fear-related behaviors. Specifically, the goal of the study is to evaluate two definitions of dysregulated fear behavior: cross-situational consistency in fear behavior and fear behavior in nonthreatening contexts (Aim 1). Participants will be 80, typically developing, 24-month-old children. Children will be observed in 12 situations, and fear behaviors will be assessed during each. Of particular interest is the identification of children who fail to regulate fear behavior based on contextual demands (i.e., dysregulated fear). Finally, the validity of the two definitions of dysregulated fear will be evaluated via associations with cortisol and maternal report of behavior problem symptoms, with particular focus on internalizing symptoms (Aim 2). These results are expected to further our understanding of the developmental risk factors and etiology of internalizing disorders in children, with particular focus on individual differences in emotion regulation. Better understanding of these risk factors will help to identify appropriate treatment and possible prevention. ? ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Small Research Grants (R03)
Project #
1R03MH067797-01A1
Application #
6704595
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZMH1-BST-U (01))
Program Officer
Moscicki, Eve K
Project Start
2003-09-01
Project End
2005-08-31
Budget Start
2003-09-01
Budget End
2005-08-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$72,500
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Missouri-Columbia
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
153890272
City
Columbia
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
65211
Hummel, Alexandra C; Premo, Julie E; Kiel, Elizabeth J (2017) Attention to Threat as a Predictor of Shyness in the Context of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems. Infancy 22:240-255
Buss, Kristin A; McDoniel, Meghan (2016) Improving the Prediction of Risk for Anxiety Development in Temperamentally Fearful Children. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 25:14-20
Brooker, Rebecca J; Kiel, Elizabeth J; Buss, Kristin A (2016) Early social fear predicts kindergarteners' socially anxious behaviors: Direct associations, moderation by inhibitory control, and differences from nonsocial fear. Emotion 16:997-1010
Scrimgeour, Meghan B; Davis, Elizabeth L; Buss, Kristin A (2016) You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!: Emotion socialization and child physiology jointly predict early prosocial development. Dev Psychol 52:102-16
Buss, Kristin A; Kiel, Elizabeth J; Morales, Santiago et al. (2014) Toddler Inhibitory Control, Bold Response to Novelty, and Positive Affect Predict Externalizing Symptoms in Kindergarten. Soc Dev 23:232-249
Dollar, Jessica; Buss, Kristin A (2014) Approach and Positive Affect in Toddlerhood Predict Early Childhood Behavior Problems. Soc Dev 23:267-287
Buss, Kristin A; Davis, Elizabeth L; Kiel, Elizabeth J et al. (2013) Dysregulated fear predicts social wariness and social anxiety symptoms during kindergarten. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 42:603-16
Hutt, Rachel L; Buss, Kristin A; Kiel, Elizabeth J (2013) Caregiver Protective Behavior, Toddler Fear and Sadness, and Toddler Cortisol Reactivity in Novel Contexts. Infancy 18:708-728
Buss, Kristin A (2011) Which fearful toddlers should we worry about? Context, fear regulation, and anxiety risk. Dev Psychol 47:804-819
Buss, Kristin A; Davis, Elizabeth L; Kiel, Elizabeth J (2011) Allostatic and environmental load in toddlers predicts anxiety in preschool and kindergarten. Dev Psychopathol 23:1069-87

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