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Childhood Language Disorder and Social Anxiety in Early Adulthood

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Abstract

Language disorder is associated with anxiety and with social problems in childhood and adolescence. However, the relation between language disorder and adult social anxiety is not well known. This study examines social anxiety in early adulthood in a 26-year prospective longitudinal study following individuals identified with a communication disorder at age 5 and a control group. Social anxiety diagnoses and subthreshold symptoms were examined at ages 19, 25, and 31 using a structured diagnostic interview; social anxiety symptoms related to social interaction and social performance were also assessed dimensionally at age 31. Multiple imputation was used to address attrition. Compared to controls, participants with childhood language disorder had higher rates of subthreshold social phobia at ages 19 and 25 and endorsed higher levels of social interaction anxiety symptoms at age 31, with particular difficulty talking to others and asserting their perspectives. Childhood language disorder is a specific risk factor for a circumscribed set of social anxiety symptoms in adulthood, which are likely associated with communication challenges.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by Health Canada (6606-5639-102) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (MOP 49512 and MOP 84421). We thank Brenda Cavanagh and Shelly-Anne Li, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, for their assistance with interviewing and coding, and the participants and families whose ongoing involvement made this research possible.

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  1. Lin Bao

    Present address: Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child, Youth and Family Services, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 80 Workman Way, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada

    E. B. Brownlie, Lin Bao & Joseph Beitchman

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    E. B. Brownlie & Joseph Beitchman

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  2. Lin Bao
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Correspondence to E. B. Brownlie.

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Brownlie, E.B., Bao, L. & Beitchman, J. Childhood Language Disorder and Social Anxiety in Early Adulthood. J Abnorm Child Psychol 44, 1061–1070 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-015-0097-5

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