Behavioral Inhibition and Psychopathology in Childhood

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament construct reflecting the tendency to exhibit fearful, withdrawn, and reticent behavior when exposed to unfamiliar people and novel contexts. BI shows moderate stability across childhood and significantly increases the risk for later anxiety disorders, particularly social anxiety disorder. In this chapter, we briefly summarize the literature on the stability of BI and its presentation across the life span. We then discuss the influence of genetic, biological, cognitive, and environmental risk factors associated with the development and maintenance of BI. Next, we review problematic outcomes of BI, including maladaptive socioemotional adjustment and the development of psychopathology, and highlight potential moderators of the BI-psychopathology relationship. We conclude by proposing future directions to further elucidate the heterogeneity of BI and its progression across the life span.