Background: As an index of behavioral inhibition and an individual’s propensity to avoid, rather than seek, potentially dangerous situations, harm avoidance has been linked to internalizing psychopathology. Altered connectivity within intrinsic functional neural networks (i.e., default mode [DMN], central executive [CEN], and salience networks [SN]) has been related to internalizing psychopathology; however, less is known about the effects of harm avoidance on functional connectivity within and between these networks. Importantly, harm avoidance may be distinguishable from trait anxiety and have clinical relevance as a risk factor for internalizing psychopathology.

Methods: A sample of young adults (n=99) completed a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan and self-report measures of harm avoidance and trait anxiety. Whole brain seed-to-voxel connectivity analyses were conducted using anterior insula seeds to examine associations between harm avoidance/trait anxiety and connectivity.

Results: After adjusting for sex and age, there was a main effect of harm avoidance on functional connectivity, such that higher harm avoidance was associated with decreased connectivity between the right anterior insula and clusters in the precuneus/PCC, left superior/middle frontal gyrus, dACC, and bilateral inferior parietal lobule/angular gyrus. Higher harm avoidance was also associated with decreased connectivity between the left anterior insula and precuneus/PCC. There were no effects of trait anxiety on functional connectivity of the anterior insula.

Conclusions: Overall, the results indicate that individual differences in harm avoidance relate to disruptions in internetwork connectivity that may contribute to deficits in appropriately modulating attentional focus.