Evaluation of Children With Selective Mutism and Social Phobia: A Comparison of Psychological and Psychophysiological Arousal

    Authors

    B. J. Young; B. E. Bunnell;D. C. Beidel

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Behav. Modificat.

    Keywords

    Selective Mutism; Social Phobia; GLOBAL ASSESSMENT SCALE; ANXIETY DISORDER; ELECTIVE MUTISM; PREVALENCE; EMOTION; Psychology, Clinical

    Abstract

    Although children with social phobia (SP) and selective mutism (SM) present similarly in a clinical setting, it remains unclear whether children with SM are unable to speak due to overwhelming anxiety, or whether withholding speech functions as an avoidance mechanism. A total of 35 children (ages 5-12 years) with either SM (n = 10), SP (n = 11), or no diagnosis (n = 14) participated in the current study. Measurements included clinician, child, and parent ratings as well as behavioral observations and psychophysiological measures. Independent evaluators and clinicians rated children with SM as more severely impaired, more anxious, and less socially effective, but the groups did not differ in self- or parent-reported anxiety. Psychophysiological measures indicated that children in the SM group experienced less arousal than other children during social interaction tasks. The authors postulate that lack of speech may serve as an avoidance mechanism and thus account for this lack of arousal.

    Journal Title

    Behavior Modification

    Volume

    36

    Issue/Number

    4

    Publication Date

    1-1-2012

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    525

    Last Page

    544

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000307335500008

    ISSN

    0145-4455

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