Loading...
Publication
Evidence-based interventions targeted at behavioral inhibition, shyness, and anxious withdrawal during the preschool years: A rapid review
| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.15 MB | Adobe PDF |
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
High and stable behavioral inhibition (BI) during early childhood may place individuals at increased risk of experiencing
anxiety during the COVID-19 crisis. Prior knowledge syntheses showed that selective prevention interventions were efective in reducing child BI and anxiety. However, the efectiveness of preschool-based universal and selective prevention
interventions targeted at BI to improve child social outcomes remains unclear. Due to the vulnerability of highly inhibited
children, this rapid review aimed to (1) synthetize the characteristics of evidence-based interventions targeted at BI, and
(2) summarize intervention outcomes in domains of child individual and social functioning. Randomized controlled trials
(RCTs), published between january 1991 and december 2021, conducted with highly inhibited children aged 3 to 5 years, were
included in the review. Thirteen RCTs on four evidence-based interventions targeted at BI were retained. Most studies were
conducted in samples of married/cohabitating and highly educated mothers and almost half of them described parent-only
interventions. Three pilot RCTs on child-only and multimodal interventions found signifcant post-intervention improvements
in observed child social competence and positive peer interactions. Pre-to-post intervention changes in parent and teacher
ratings on child social outcomes were less consistent across studies. Further large-scale RCTs with medium-to-long term
follow-ups are needed to examine intervention outcomes in domains of child social functioning, using a multi-informant
and multi-method approach. After the COVID-19 crisis, preschool-based universal interventions targeting BI may enhance
the engagement of inhibited children from diverse communities and contribute to the generalization of intervention efects
to naturalistic peer settings.
Description
Keywords
Behavioral inhibition Social withdrawal Shyness Evidence-based psychological interventions Preschool children
Citation
Maia, R., Santos, A. F., Veríssimo, M., Santos, A. J., & Guedes, M. (2024). Evidence-based interventions targeted at behavioral inhibition, shyness, and anxious withdrawal during the preschool years: A rapid review. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05574-1
