University of Maryland, College Park.
University of Maryland, College Park.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021 Oct;60(10):1300-1308. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.01.021. Epub 2021 Feb 12.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented changes to young adults' lives, resulting in mental health difficulties for many; however, some individuals are particularly prone to heightened anxiety. Little is known about the early life predictors of anxiety during the pandemic. We examined a developmental pathway from behavioral inhibition (BI), a temperament characterized by fearful responses toward novelty, to changes in young adults' anxiety during the initial period of the pandemic. We hypothesized that a stable pattern of BI across early childhood would predict greater adolescent worry dysregulation, which in turn would predict increases in young adult anxiety during a stressful phase of the pandemic.
Participants (N = 291; 54% female) were followed from toddlerhood to young adulthood. BI was observed at ages 2 and 3 years. Social wariness was observed at age 7 years. Participants rated their worry dysregulation in adolescence (age 15) and anxiety in young adulthood (age 18) at 2 assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 month apart.
A significant moderated mediation, in which a stable pattern of BI from toddlerhood to childhood, as compared to the absence of this pattern, predicted greater worry dysregulation in adolescence. Worry dysregulation predicted elevated young adult anxiety in the second assessment during COVID-19, even after accounting for the first assessment.
This study identifies a developmental pathway from toddlerhood BI to young adults' elevated anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings have implications for early identification of individuals at risk for dysregulated worry and the prevention of anxiety during stressful life events in young adulthood.
新冠疫情给年轻人的生活带来了前所未有的变化，导致许多人出现心理健康问题；然而，有些人更容易出现焦虑加剧的情况。在疫情期间，很少有人了解导致焦虑的早期生活预测因素。我们研究了从行为抑制（BI）到年轻人在疫情初期焦虑变化的发展途径，BI 是一种以对新奇事物感到恐惧为特征的气质。我们假设，儿童早期稳定的 BI 模式将预测青少年担忧调节能力的增强，而后者又将预测在疫情压力阶段年轻人焦虑的增加。
参与者（N=291；女性占 54%）从幼儿期一直跟踪到成年早期。在 2 岁和 3 岁时观察 BI。在 7 岁时观察社交谨慎。在青少年（15 岁）和成年早期（18 岁）两次评估期间，参与者在 COVID-19 期间相隔 1 个月，评估了他们的担忧调节能力和焦虑。
与没有这种模式相比，从幼儿期到儿童期稳定的 BI 模式预测了青少年时期更严重的担忧调节障碍。即使考虑到第一次评估，担忧调节障碍也预测了 COVID-19 期间第二次评估时年轻人的焦虑增加。
这项研究确定了从幼儿期 BI 到年轻人在 COVID-19 期间焦虑增加的发展途径。研究结果对早期识别调节障碍风险的个体以及预防成年期压力生活事件中的焦虑具有重要意义。
