Selective mutism in immigrant families

An ecocultural perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID2395567
AuthorsOrtal Slobodin (0000-0002-1371-5254, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, corresponding author), Maayan Shorer (0000-0003-2913-2595, Ruppin Academic Center), Gilor Friedman-Zeltzer (Ruppin Academic Center), Silvana Fennig (0000-0002-7797-7296, Schneider Children's Medical Center)
Year2024
Volume61
Issue1
Pages15-29
Publication date2024-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTranscultural Psychiatric Research Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0041-1108 • E-ISSN: 0315-4386
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/13634615231202095
PMID37814531
OpenAlexW4387472809
LanguageEN
References cited107

Although the diagnosis of selective mutism (SM) is more prevalent among immigrant children, the link between the disorder and an immigration background has been elusive. Guided by ecocultural models of development, the current study aimed to construct a theory-based description of SM while considering individual, family, and contextual risk factors. Participants were 78 children with SM (38.4% with an immigration background), and 247 typically developed children (18.2% with an immigration background). Consistent with previous studies, our results suggest that anxiety was the most important predictor of SM symptoms, above and beyond immigration background. Immigration, especially if coupled with bilingual status and low family income, predicted increased levels of SM symptoms. Identifying multi-level predictors of SM may help researchers and clinicians to improve early identification and treatment of SM in culturally and linguistically diverse children

Anxiety · Construct (python library · Developmental psychology · Immigration · Perspective (graphical · Psychiatry · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Language Development and Disorders · Psychology

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