The role of child behavioral inhibition in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety in early childhood.

Although the intergenerational transmission of anxiety is well documented, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In a community sample of mother-child dyads (N = 541; 54% male, 72% non-Hispanic White), we examined whether child behavioral inhibition (BI), a temperament characteristic that increases anxiety risk, mediated and/or moderated associations between maternal and child symptoms in early childhood. Greater maternal symptoms in infancy and at 3 years were associated with greater child symptoms at 3 years and 5 years (rs = .15-.23, ps < .01), but not with child BI at 3 years (rs = .00-.01, ps > .92). Thus, evidence for mediation was not observed. Moderation analyses revealed an interactive effect at 3 years (β = -0.13, p = .009): Among children with high BI, child symptoms were elevated regardless of maternal symptoms. Among children with moderate to low BI, greater maternal symptoms were associated with greater child symptoms. A similar pattern was observed at 5 years (β = -0.10, p = .113). Such associations were not observed when testing maternal depressive symptoms as predictor or child externalizing symptoms as outcome, supporting specificity for BI in intergenerational anxiety processes. Sex-specific effects in relation to BI were not observed. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of child BI in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety in early childhood.