Theories Behind SAD

When looking at etiological theories behind SAD, one must consider multiple areas. Since SAD has an early onset, it is important to consider childhood factors. In addition, one must consider parental factors including modeling behavior, parenting styles, and genetics. One specific predictor for the development of SAD in children, which has been consistent across numerous studies, is that of behavioral inhibition. Svihra and Katzman (2004) described signs of behavioral inhibition in children as extended latencies before communication with unknown adults, withdrawal from an unfamiliar object or person, clinging to their caretaker, and fretting or crying. Furthermore, the DSM-5 states that children with high behavioral inhibition are more

Hayward et al. (2008) suggested an overprotective, overbearing parenting style has been correlated with SAD in adolescents. It is believed that the constant attention and supervision from the parent will inadvertently create stress in the child, which will continue throughout the child’s life. Along with parenting styles, Heyward et al. (2008) suggested there is a genetic component to SAD. The DSM-5 also stated there SAD is a heritable disorder. Specifically, first-degree relatives of individuals with SAD have a two to six times better chance of getting SAD than the general public (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Furthermore, children could inherit the pathological component of SAD from their parents, thus increasing the likelihood of the child developing the disorder directly from their parent. They could also inherit the risk factor of behavioral inhibition, which would increase the likelihood of the child developing SAD. Knowing and understand the etiological theories for SAD is a sizable advantage. Therefore, it must be a priority to educate parents of possible risk factors, such as behavioral inhibition, so they can take necessary steps to prevent their child obtaining SAD. Likewise, it is also important to educate parents, whether they have mental disorders or not, that parenting styles, modeling behaviors, and genetic factors all play a considerable role in the etiology of SAD. One final

Experts wanted to develop specifiers based on the specific domains of feared social situations (Bogels et al., 2010). Three distinct domains were discovered by multiple studies, which included fear of performance, fear of social interactions, and fear of observation situations. As there was a lack of supporting evidence for the generalized subtype, but a discovery of fear of performance as a variant of SAD, a performance anxiety subtype was proposed for the DSM-5. In addition, Bogels et al. (2010) felt it was necessary for the DSM-5 authors to incorporate fear of social situations and fear of observation situations into the SAD