A PERSON-CENTERED ANALYSIS OF TEMPERAMENT IN BEHAVIORALLY INHIBITED PRESCHOOLERS

Abstract

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a biologically based temperament style marked by heightened sensitivity to novelty and fear in social situations (Kagan et al., 1984). For some, BI remains stable and contributes to later social emotional challenges, including increased risk for anxiety disorders (Fox et al., 2023). Identifying which children with BI are at greatest risk, and how individual and contextual factors influence outcomes, is essential for early intervention. However, gaps remain in understanding the diverse developmental pathways within this population.This study examined data from the parents of 254 behaviorally inhibited preschool-aged children. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify three subgroups based on broader temperament traits, including attentional focusing, perceptual sensitivity, high-intensity pleasure, anger, and inhibitory control. Profiles were then examined in relation to children’s social skills and parental beliefs, strategies, and attributions. Results revealed three distinct profiles that differed substantially from each other in social and emotional functioning: Regulated, Unregulated and Angry, and Typical BI. BI profile membership significantly impacted social skills outcomes, accounting for about 30% of the variance in social skills scores, even after controlling for age and gender. Children with high anger and low regulation demonstrated more severe social difficulties than the Regulated and Typical BI groups, whereas those with stronger self-regulation were rated higher in social skills than both other profiles. The different profiles directly influenced how parents rated their children's social competencies, suggesting that children's temperament traits shape their observable behavior in ways that matter to caregivers. Differences in parenting beliefs and strategies did emerge but they were modest. Parents of Regulated children were less likely to attribute BI to internal traits and more likely to adopt a developmental perspective rather than focus on the situation when implementing strategies than parents of children in the Typical BI group. Parents of Unregulated and Angry children were more likely to anticipate unsuccessful outcomes and to use hands-on strategies compared to the Typical BI group. Parenting responses varied across situational vignettes, suggesting that strategies are both child and context dependent. These findings support models emphasizing the heterogeneity within BI and highlight the importance of tailoring interventions to specific subpopulations within BI. This conclusion is strengthened by the finding that BI level in this population did not significantly differentiate between the three groups. This underscores the idea that other temperament factors and not merely level of BI above a certain cut-off matters for social and emotional outcomes.