Familial and developmental antecedents of social phobia: Issues and findings

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Abstract

This article reviews research on familial and developmental factors that may be associated with social phobia. It begins with a discussion of two issues that have impeded research on the etiology of social phobia. Then, evidence for the heritability of shyness and the genetic transmission of dispositions that may increase proneness to social fears is reviewed. The findings regarding the impact of child-rearing characteristics of isolation, admonitions about proper appearance and manners, and lack of family sociability on shyness are reviewed relative to social phobia. Also, four developmental factors that have been empirically linked to child and adolescent shyness are discussed. Finally, a summary of results from a recent study in which social phobics and agoraphobics were compared on selected family and developmental antecedents considered in this review is presented.

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      Consistent with selected clinical, epidemiological, and family genetic evidence (Bosquet & Egeland, 2006; Fyer, Mannuzza, Chapman, Liebowitz, & Klein, 1993; McClure, Brennan, Hammen, & Le Brocque, 2001; Merikangas, Lieb, Wittchen, & Aveneoli, 2003; Stein, Chartier, Lizak, & Jang, 2001), we demonstrated that parental psychopathology and negative parental rearing styles (Bruch, 1989; Gar, Hudson, & Rapee, 2005; McClure et al., 2001; Rapee & Spence, 2004; Woodruff-Borden, Morrow, Bourland, & Cambron, 2002), are significantly associated with increased rates of social phobia (SP) in offspring (Lieb et al., 2000b).

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