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Is Selective Mutism An Emotion Regulation Strategy For Children With Social Phobia? A Single Case Design Investigation, Samantha L. Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To determine whether children with selective mutism (SM) withhold speech to regulate their emotional arousal and decrease automatic distress, the current study examines the behavioral and physiological responses of children with SM in comparison to children with social phobia (SP) and children with no psychiatric disorder (TD) as they participate in two social situations. A single case design strategy is used to compare behavioral and physiological responses both within and across groups. Examining the temporal sequencing of behaviors and physiology provides a direct test of the utility of emotion regulation theory as it pertains to children with social phobia/selective mutism. …