Behavioral and socio-emotional functioning in children with selective mutism: a comparison with anxious and typically developing children across multiple informants
- PMID: 20496108
- DOI: 10.1007/s10802-010-9425-y
Behavioral and socio-emotional functioning in children with selective mutism: a comparison with anxious and typically developing children across multiple informants
Abstract
We examined differences among 158 children, 44 with selective mutism (SM; M = 8.2 years, SD = 3.4 years), 65 with mixed anxiety (MA; M = 8.9 years, SD = 3.2 years), and 49 community controls (M = 7.7 years, SD = 2.6 years) on primary caregiver, teacher, and child reports of behavioral and socio-emotional functioning. Children with SM were rated lower than controls on a range of social skills, but the SM and MA groups did not significantly differ on many of the social skills and anxiety measures. However, children with SM were rated higher than children with MA and controls on social anxiety. Findings suggest that SM may be conceptualized as an anxiety disorder, with primary deficits in social functioning and social anxiety. This interpretation supports a more specific classification of SM as an anxiety disorder for future diagnostic manuals than is currently described in the literature. The present findings also have implications for clinical practice, whereby social skills training merits inclusion in intervention for children with anxiety disorders as well as children with SM.
Similar articles
-
Comparison of behavioral profiles for anxiety-related comorbidities including ADHD and selective mutism in children.Depress Anxiety. 2013 Sep;30(9):857-64. doi: 10.1002/da.22094. Epub 2013 Mar 22. Depress Anxiety. 2013. PMID: 23526795 Free PMC article.
-
Joint attention in parent-child dyads involving children with selective mutism: a comparison between anxious and typically developing children.Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2011 Feb;42(1):78-92. doi: 10.1007/s10578-010-0208-z. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2011. PMID: 20960051
-
Children's and parent's psychological profiles in selective mutism and generalized anxiety disorder: a clinical study.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018 Jun;27(6):775-783. doi: 10.1007/s00787-017-1075-y. Epub 2017 Oct 28. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018. PMID: 29081005
-
Children Who are Anxious in Silence: A Review on Selective Mutism, the New Anxiety Disorder in DSM-5.Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2015 Jun;18(2):151-69. doi: 10.1007/s10567-015-0181-y. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2015. PMID: 25724675 Review.
-
Practical guidelines for the assessment and treatment of selective mutism.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995 Jul;34(7):836-46. doi: 10.1097/00004583-199507000-00006. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995. PMID: 7649953 Review.
Cited by
-
Can autism spectrum disorders and social anxiety disorders be differentiated by the social responsiveness scale in children and adolescents?J Autism Dev Disord. 2014 May;44(5):1168-82. doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1979-4. J Autism Dev Disord. 2014. PMID: 24682652
-
Anxiety in Children with Selective Mutism: A Meta-analysis.Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2020 Apr;51(2):330-341. doi: 10.1007/s10578-019-00933-1. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2020. PMID: 31650460 Free PMC article.
-
Diagnosing selective mutism: a critical review of measures for clinical practice and research.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023 Oct;32(10):1821-1839. doi: 10.1007/s00787-021-01907-2. Epub 2021 Dec 1. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023. PMID: 34853909 Free PMC article. Review.
-
An Updated Characterization of Childhood Selective Mutism: Exploring Clinical Features, Treatment Utilization, and School Services.Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2025 Jun;56(3):683-695. doi: 10.1007/s10578-023-01589-8. Epub 2023 Aug 31. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2025. PMID: 37650960
-
Comparison of behavioral profiles for anxiety-related comorbidities including ADHD and selective mutism in children.Depress Anxiety. 2013 Sep;30(9):857-64. doi: 10.1002/da.22094. Epub 2013 Mar 22. Depress Anxiety. 2013. PMID: 23526795 Free PMC article.
References
-
- J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997 May;36(5):653-60 - PubMed
-
- J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2007 Jun;28(3):225-33 - PubMed
-
- Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1998 Mar;7(1):24-9 - PubMed
-
- J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2006 Nov;47(11):1085-97 - PubMed
-
- J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2003 Sep;42(9):1069-75 - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical