Retrospective reports of behavioral inhibition and young adults’ current symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and anxious arousal

The primary goal of this study was to investigate the specificity of the social versus nonsocial components of self-reported behavioral inhibition during childhood with young adults’ current symptoms of anhedonic depression, social anxiety, and anxious arousal. As hypothesized, the social component of BI demonstrated some specificity for symptoms of social anxiety versus other internalizing disorders. Furthermore, results support the hypothesis that the relationship between BI and depressive symptoms is mediated by levels of social anxiety and anxious arousal.