ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN EXPRESSED EMOTION AND CHILD BEHAVIORAL-INHIBITION AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - A PILOT-STUDY

Objective: To examine the relationship between behavioral inhibition a nd child psychopathology and measures of family adversity indexed thro ugh ''expressed emotion.'' Method: Maternal expressed emotion was asse ssed via Five-Minute-Speech-Sample in two samples of children evaluate d for prevalence of DSM-III disorders and assessed via laboratory obse rvations for behavioral inhibition. The at-risk sample (N = 30) consis ted of 4- to 10-year-old children of mothers with and without panic di sorder (psychiatric controls). The Kagan sample (N=41)consisted of chi ldren selected at age 21 months as behaviorally inhibited or uninhibit ed and followed through age 11. Results: In the at-risk sample, child behavioral inhibition was associated with high/borderline maternal cri ticism, independent of other measures of child psychopathology. In bot h samples combined, high/borderline maternal criticism was associated with child externalizing symptoms and with the number of child mood an d behavior disorders. Emotional overinvolvement was significantly asso ciated with child separation anxiety disorder in the at-risk sample. C onclusions: Results suggest that child behavioral inhibition may be as sociated with maternal criticism/dissatisfaction and confirm other rep orts of associations between criticism and child behavior and mood dis orders and between emotional overinvolvement and child separation anxi ety.