UM joins hospitals in shy-children study

ORONO – Psychology researchers at the University of Maine and at hospitals in Bangor, Waterville and Portland have been conducting a research project with shy children in hopes of improving treatment for children at risk for developing severe social anxiety as adults.

Psychology professor Marie Hayes and doctoral student Bethany Sallinen at the University of Maine began the study last year. They have partnered with Dr. Doug Robbins at Maine Medical Center’s Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology in Portland, as well as providers at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and MaineGeneral in Waterville to expand the pool of study subjects.

Children, either shy or typical in their social behavior, ages 8 to 12 years old, have been participating in the study with a parent.

The study, conducted under the supervision of a licensed, clinical psychologist at UMaine, sought to produce research that can reduce the number of children whose lives may be compromised by a treatable anxiety problem.

The research, now being analyzed, could break new ground in identifying how to treat extremely shy children. By examining the details of parent-child interactions that may promote social anxiety, researchers hope to provide insight into parenting strategies that could improve success rates in families working to overcome shyness issues.

Studies show that about 15 percent of children are shy and about 5 percent are extremely so. A National Co-Morbidity Survey revealed a lifetime prevalence of social phobia of 13.3 percent, making it the third-most prevalent psychiatric disorder.

Extreme shyness can have severe effects on an individual’s social, and later in life, professional development, according to Hayes and Sallinen.

“It seems to be that children who are extremely shy or ‘socially anxious’ have difficulty in school going to the board, speaking in class, participating in gym class and making friends,” Sallinen said. “Shyness interferes with their everyday functioning. They’re less likely to achieve if they are untreated.”

Later in life, they look for jobs where they can avoid speaking or expressing themselves, she said. Over time, a lack of achievement and self-confidence can lead to depression because of loneliness and low self-esteem. Early recognition and counseling can turn a child’s life around, she said.

The research is being done at the university’s Child Studies Laboratory on the Orono campus.

By monitoring parent and child interaction with problem-solving tasks as well as free play time in a controlled environment, the researchers wanted to observe what behavior similarities exist in parents and children when facing both challenging, stressful situations – generated through problem-solving exercises – and spontaneous play, Hayes said.

“The dynamics between the parent and the child sets the stage for the child’s reactions outside the home,” Hayes said. “If the parent is also experiencing significant social anxiety, this could be the social scenario in which the child learns to mimic similar behavior, or does not learn appropriate interpersonal behavior strategies.”

Also, if a parent can pass specific personality traits to children genetically, then knowing about a predisposition for behavior that could interfere with a child’s developing socialization skills could help families, teachers or counselors work with that child to minimize the effects, Hayes said. Future research will examine the genetic basis of personality traits like social anxiety, which may be present in the parents of shy children.