Is behavioral inhibition a risk factor for depression?

BackgroundSeveral studies have reported an observed relationship between a behaviorally inhibited temperament early in life and subsequent clinical anxiety, but few have explored the relationship between early inhibition and depression.MethodsIn a cross-sectional survey of non-clinical adults we examined the relationship between retrospectively reported childhood behavioral inhibition and lifetime depression. We then examined the mediating role of social anxiety and childhood relational stress factors.ResultsSubjects who qualified for a lifetime episode of depression also reported significantly more childhood inhibition, particularly if they had a juvenile onset depression (i.e., by age 16). Further analyses revealed that social anxiety mediated the link between reported childhood inhibition and later depression, and highlighted the additional meditating effect of parental influences.ConclusionAny relationship between an early inhibited temperament and later depression, may in fact be dependent upon the presence of clinically meaningful social anxiety.