Social anxiety and perceptions of likeability by peers in children

The current study aimed to investigate the discrepancy between self-reported and peer-reported likeability among children, and the relation with social anxiety, depression, and social support. In total, 532 children between 7 and 12 years completed questionnaires about social anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and social support, estimated their own likeability, and indicated how much they liked their classmates. Children with higher levels of social anxiety or depression overestimated their likeability less or even underestimated their likeability. Social anxiety symptoms, but not depressive symptoms, were significant predictors of the discrepancy. Social support was positively related to likeability and negatively related to social anxiety, but did not moderate the association between social anxiety symptoms and perception accuracy of likeability. These results are in line with cognitive theories of childhood social anxiety, and they stress the importance of using multi-informant measures when studying the relation between social anxiety and social functioning in children.     

The Relational Context of Social Support in Young Adults: Links with Stress and Well-Being

This study examined the roles of relationship-specific social support and gender in the associations between perceived stress and well-being. Three sources of support (family, friends, and romantic partners) and three well-being indicators (loneliness, depressive symptoms, and physical health) were assessed in 628 young adults attending college (M _age = 19.72; range of 18–24). Stress directly predicted all well-being indicators, and indirectly predicted well-being through social support in relationship-specific ways. Family support mediated the relationship between stress and physical health, friend support mediated the association between stress and loneliness, and romantic partner support mediated the relationships of stress with both loneliness and depressive symptoms. With regard to loneliness and physical health, women were more strongly impacted when they had less support from friends.     

Attachment Anxiety, Conflict Behaviors, and Depressive Symptoms in Emerging Adults’ Romantic Relationships

The present study examined attachment anxiety, conflict behaviors (attacking and compromising), and depressive symptoms in a sample of 45 emerging adults ages 18–25?years (M?=?19.51). Emerging adults’ romantic partners also participated in the study. In order to assess the study variables, emerging adults and their romantic partners completed self-report questionnaires. Using hierarchical regression analyses, a statistical model was tested wherein emerging adults’ depressive symptoms were regressed on their own and their partner’s attributes. Emerging adults’ own attachment anxiety and attacking behaviors and their romantic partner’s attacking behaviors, each explained significant portions of the variance in emerging adults’ depressive symptoms. Findings highlight the importance of considering the role of emerging adults’ and their romantic partners’ attributes in their depressive symptoms and offer important targets for therapeutic intervention.     

Longitudinal Associations Among Service Members’ PTSD Symptoms,Partner Accommodation,and Partner Distress

Romantic partners’ accommodation of trauma survivors’ posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (e.g., participating in avoidance and safety behaviors, not expressing one’s thoughts and feelings) is a putative mechanism linking PTSD symptoms and partner distress, but this hypothesis has never been empirically tested. The current study investigated this proposed within-couple mediation process from service members’ PTSD symptoms to partners’ depressive symptoms and relationship satisfaction through partner accommodation, as well as between-couple associations among these constructs and the possible moderating role of partners’ conflict avoidance and helplessness (CAH) motivations for accommodating service members’ PTSD symptoms. We examined these questions in 272 male service member/female civilian couples assessed four times over an 18-month period using the multiple-group version of the random intercept cross-lagged panel model. Within couples, service members’ higher levels of PTSD symptoms at one time point significantly predicted partners being more accommodating at the next time point (βs = .14–.19), which, in turn, significantly predicted higher levels of partner depressive symptoms at the subsequent time point (βs = .09–.19) but did not predict partners’ subsequent relationship satisfaction. At the between-couple level, partner accommodation was significantly positively associated with partners’ depressive symptoms only among those endorsing high CAH motivations for accommodation (r = .50). In addition, accommodation was significantly negatively associated with partners’ relationship satisfaction regardless of CAH motivation level (rs = −.43 to −.49). These findings are discussed in light of the potential for couple-based treatments for PTSD to enhance partner individual and relational well-being.     

Social Anxiety Disorder and Social Support Behavior in Friendships

Relationship quality is a strong predictor of health outcomes, and individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) report increased interpersonal impairment. However, there are few studies testing the effect of SAD on friendships and it is thus unclear whether there are behavioral differences that distinguish friendships in which a target individual has SAD from friendships in which the target individual does not have SAD. We tested for differences in the provision and receipt of support behaviors as a function of having a SAD diagnosis and accounting for comorbid depressive symptoms. Participants with SAD (n = 90) and their friends engaged in support conversations that were coded using the Social Support Interaction Coding System. Structural equation modeling revealed some differences between participants and friends when accounting for depression. Specifically, friends of participants with SAD and comorbid depression engaged in fewer positive helper behaviors than the friends of participants who did not have SAD or comorbid depression. Additionally, dyads in which the primary participant had SAD engaged in more off-task behaviors. Results suggest that SAD does not result in global interpersonal impairment, but that receipt of positive support behaviors from friends may differ as a function of SAD and comorbid depression. Interpersonal interventions aimed at increasing adaptive friendships and aspects of CBT that target subtle avoidance (e.g., safety behaviors) may be useful in facilitating more satisfactory relationships for these individuals.     

Daily Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Accommodation and Relationship Functioning in Military Couples

Romantic partners’ accommodation of trauma survivors’ posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (e.g., taking on tasks, survivors avoid participating in social withdrawal) is associated with lower relationship satisfaction for both partners and survivors. Little is known about associations of partner accommodation with other aspects of relationship functioning, like intimacy. Sixty‐four male military veterans with at least subclinical PTSD and their partners participated in a 2‐week daily diary study. Veterans completed nightly measures of PTSD symptoms, while female partners completed nightly measures of accommodating behaviors performed that day. Both partners reported feelings of intimacy each night. Multilevel models revealed that accommodation was significantly, negatively associated with feelings of intimacy, with stronger effects for partners (t = ?8.70) than for veterans (t = ?5.40), and stronger effects when veterans had lower (t = ?7.43) rather than higher (t = ?5.20) levels of daily PTSD symptoms. Therapists should consider accommodating behaviors as a potential impediment to relationship intimacy, particularly when veterans have less severe symptoms of PTSD. Accommodating behaviors are an ideal treatment target in behavioral couple therapies.     

Attachment,Social Support,Resilience and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Chinese Adults Living with HIV/AIDS

The present study aimed to examine the effects of attachment, social support and resilience on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in people living with HIV/AIDS. One hundred fifty-two HIV+ adults in China were investigated. The results suggested that attachment anxiety had a significant direct effect on PTSD symptoms and impacted PTSD symptoms indirectly though associations with social support and resilience. Attachment avoidance could also be considered a distal risk factor of PTSD symptoms via the mediation of social support and resilience. The findings highlight the importance of identifying trauma and PTSD symptoms in people affected by HIV/AIDS and suggest that people with attachment anxiety and low social support resources might be at high risk for PTSD.     

Exposure to community violence and social support as predictors of anxiety and social and emotional behavior among African American children

We examined the effects of exposure to violence and social support on self-reported state and trait anxiety and parental rated problem behaviors among school-aged African-American children in low and high violence areas. Ninety-seven (97) fourth through sixth graders and their parents were interviewed about exposure to community violence, social support, and state and trait anxiety. Results indicate that trait anxiety was correlated positively with exposure to violence and negatively with social support. State anxiety was correlated negatively with family social support. Problem behaviors were correlated negatively with family support and income. Hierarchial multiple regression analyses indicated that children's reports of their exposure to community violence continued to explain significant variability in trait anxiety, and problem behavior after controlling for both income and social support measures. Social support from peers, family and teachers played differential roles in predicting problem behaviors among children from high and lower violence areas. These findings suggest that in planning intervention programs for children exposed to violence, greater attention to empowering parents to support their children, to fostering peer group support, and to bolstering teacher support may be useful, but attention to the underlying socio-political causes of violence exposure is essential.     

Effects of Illness Representation,Perceived Quality of Information Provided by the Health-Care Professional,and Perceived Social Support on Depressive Symptoms of the Caregivers of Children with Leukemia

The present study examined the effects of illness representation, perceived quality of information provided by the health-care professional, and perceived social support on the depressive symptoms of the caregivers of children with leukemia. The sample was composed of 71 caregivers of children with leukemia living in Turkey. The obtained data were analyzed by path analysis. The results show that caregivers of children with leukemia experience higher levels of depressive symptoms when they have negative illness representation and lower levels of depressive symptoms when they perceive higher levels of social support. Moreover, they perceive higher social support when they perceive high quality of information provided by health-care professionals. It can be suggested that intervention programs which aim to increase caregivers’ social support and change their illness representation in a positive way would be helpful for the caregivers showing depressive symptoms.     

A transactional approach to social anxiety and the genesis of interpersonal closeness: Self, partner, and social context

It remains unclear whether social anxiety interferes with the generation of closeness during initial encounters. We addressed the question of whether perceived closeness between strangers differs as a function of dyad characteristics (i.e., self and partner levels of social anxiety) and social context. We conducted an experiment with 90 participants randomly assigned to either a 45-minute personal disclosure or small-talk dyadic conversation. Multilevel modeling results yielded a 3-way interaction, such that the effect of social anxiety on closeness generated during the interaction was moderated by social anxiety reported by interaction partners and social context. In the personal disclosure condition, perceived closeness was greatest when the most socially anxious individuals interacted with each other. In the small-talk condition, perceived closeness was greatest when the least socially anxious individuals interacted with each other. Across conditions, partners with substantial differences in social anxiety (i.e., mixed dyads) reported relatively less closeness than partners with similar levels of social anxiety. Social anxiety effects were not attributable to depressive symptoms or physical attraction to partners. These findings suggest that neglecting specific qualities of interaction partners and social situational factors may lead to spurious conclusions in understanding interpersonal outcomes related to social anxiety.     

Social support and subjective well-being among Hong Kong Chinese young adults.

The associations between social support and 3 measures of subjective well-being--depressive symptomatology, negative affect, and positive affect--were studied among Hong Kong Chinese young adults (N = 475) between 16 and 19 years old. Significant bivariate relationships were found between positive affect and all dimensions of social support (including social network size, social contact frequency, satisfaction with social support, instrumental support, and helping others) except composition of social network. Helping others variables and relationship satisfaction variables were negatively related to both depressive symptoms and negative affect. Multiple regression models revealed that satisfaction with relationships with family members and friends was consistently associated with all measures of subjective well-being, and number of friends felt close to was positively related to positive affect.     

The Importance of Perceived Care and Connectedness with Friends and Parents for Adolescent Social Anxiety

Nonclinical social anxiety in adolescence can be highly problematic, as it likely affects current and especially new social interactions. Relationships with significant others, such as close friends, mothers, and fathers, could aid socially anxious adolescents’ participation in social situations, thereby helping reduce feelings of social anxiety. We examined whether making friends as well as high friendship quality help reduce social anxiety over time, and whether friends’, mothers’, and fathers’ care interact in reducing social anxiety. Using longitudinal data from 2,194 participants in a social network (48% girls; M_age = 13.58) followed for 3 years, we estimated friendship selection and influence processes via a continuous time‐modeling approach using SIENA. We controlled for the effects of depressive symptoms, self‐esteem, gender, age, and family structure. Our findings suggest that perceived care by friends mediated the effect of making friends on social anxiety. Perceptions of mother and father, as well as friend care and connectedness, respectively, did not interact in decreasing social anxiety. Nonetheless, care and connectedness with mothers, fathers, and friends jointly predicted decreases in social anxiety. Caring relationships with friends and parents each play a role in mutually protecting early adolescents against increasing in social anxiety over time.     

Social support,strain, and glycemic control: A path analysis

Social support and strain have been linked with many health outcomes. However, less is known about whether these psychosocial factors are associated with Type 2 diabetes risk. This study uses the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) dataset to examine the relationship between social support and strain from friends, family members, and spouse/partners and blood hemoglobin A1c levels in married/cohabiting adults who have not been diagnosed with diabetes. In addition, health locus of control is examined as a possible mediator. The study's findings suggest that support from friends is negatively associated with HbA1c levels, indicating a relationship between better glycemic control and social support from friends, and an indirect association for spouse/partner support. A direct effect for internal health locus of control was also found.     

Relationships between health behaviors,posttraumatic stress disorder,and comorbid general anxiety and depression

Poor health outcomes associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may reflect engagement in unhealthy behaviors that increase morbidity risk and disengagement in healthy behaviors that decrease morbidity risk. Although research supports this pattern, findings are not definitive, particularly for healthy behaviors. Many studies have not controlled for effects of concurrent generalized anxiety and depression, which might explain conflicting findings. To address this limitation, we used an online cross-sectional research design and multivariate multilevel modelling to evaluate associations between a multitude of health behaviors (i.e. sedentary behavior, sleep quality, physical activity, eating habits, alcohol use and substance use) and PTSD, while adjusting for comorbid generalized anxiety and depression, in a sample of trauma-exposed individuals (N = 246). Our results indicate that PTSD and comorbid generalized anxiety and depression symptoms were differentially associated with specific health constructs. Specifically, sedentary behavior and poor sleep quality were associated with PTSD, whereas low physical activity, poor sleep quality, and unhealthy eating habits were associated with depression. Both increased alcohol and substance use were associated with generalized anxiety. Results from our study highlight the need to conceptualize associations between health behaviors and specific psychological symptoms in a comprehensive manner as part of clinical presentations of PTSD.     

Specificity of peer difficulties to social anxiety in early adolescence: categorical and dimensional analyses with clinical and community samples

Background and Objectives: We investigated the specificity of social difficulties to social anxiety by testing associations of social anxiety and other anxiety presentations with peer acceptance and victimization in community and treatment-seeking samples of adolescents aged 12–14 years.

Design: Cross-sectional, quantitative survey.

Methods: Adolescents from the community (n?=?116) and a clinical setting (n?=?154) completed ratings of anxiety symptoms, perceived social acceptance, and peer victimization. Their parents also completed ratings of the adolescents’ anxiety and social acceptance.

Results: Social acceptance was lowest among adolescents with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and lower among adolescents with other anxiety disorders than in the community sample. Anxiety symptoms were negatively correlated with social acceptance, but these associations were not unique to social anxiety symptoms. Girls in the community sample reported more overt victimization than girls with SAD and with other anxiety diagnoses. Relational victimization was associated with social and nonsocial anxiety symptoms only in the community sample.

Conclusions: Our findings supplement recent laboratory-based observational studies on social functioning among adolescents with SAD and other anxiety disorders. Although social anxiety may be associated with unique social skill deficits and impairment, concerns about peer relations should also be considered among adolescents with other anxiety symptoms.     

Family Financial Pressure and Maternal and Adolescent Socioemotional Adjustment: Moderating Effects of Kin Social Support in Low Income African American Families

The moderating effect of kinship social support on the association of family financial pressure with socioemotional adjustment was examined in 200 African American mothers and adolescents. Financial pressure was positively associated with mothers’ depressive symptoms and negatively related to mothers’ optimism about the future. Financial pressure was also positively associated with adolescents’ depressive symptoms and problem behavior. Kin social support was negatively linked to mothers’ depressive symptoms and positively associated with optimism. Kin support was negatively related to adolescents’ problem behavior. Kinship support moderated the association of family financial pressure with mothers’ and adolescents’ adjustment. Positive association of financial pressure with mothers’ depression was less apparent for mothers with more compared to less kin social support. Also, negative association of financial pressure with mothers’ optimism was less apparent for mothers with more compared to less kin social support. Positive relation of financial pressure with adolescents’ problem behavior was less apparent for those with more compared to less kin social support. The need to assess the links of kin social support to other domains of family life such as marital relations is discussed.     

Associations between dimensions of anxiety sensitivity and PTSD symptom clusters in active-duty police officers

Prior studies have shown that anxiety sensitivity (AS) plays an important role in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate associations between empirically supported PTSD symptom clusters (i.e. reexperiencing, avoidance, numbing, hyperarousal) and AS dimensions (i.e. psychological concerns, social concerns, somatic concerns). Participants were 138 active-duty police officers (70.7% female; mean age = 38.9 years; mean time policing = 173.8 months) who, as a part of a larger study, completed measures of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, AS, and depressive symptoms. All participants reported experiencing at least one event that they perceived as traumatic, and 44 (31.9%) screened positive for PTSD. Officers with probable PTSD scored significantly higher on AS total as well as the somatic and psychological concerns dimensional scores than did those without PTSD. As well, a higher percentage of officers with probable PTSD scored positively on the AS-derived Brief Screen for Panic Disorder (Apfeldorf et al., 1994) compared with those without PTSD. A series of regression analyses revealed that depressive symptoms, number of reported traumas, and AS somatic concerns were significant predictors of PTSD total symptom severity as well as severity of reexperiencing. Avoidance was predicted by depressive symptoms and AS somatic concerns. Only depressive symptoms were significantly predictive of numbing and hyperarousal cluster scores. These findings contribute to understanding the nature of association between AS and PTSD symptom clusters. Implications for the treatment of individuals having PTSD with and without panic-related symptomatology are discussed.     

Failure to capitalize on sharing good news with romantic partners: Exploring positivity deficits of socially anxious people with self-reports,partner-reports,and behavioral observations

Extending prior work on social anxiety and positivity deficits, we examined whether individual differences in social anxiety alter the ability to share and respond to the good news of romantic partners (i.e., capitalization support) and how this influences romantic relationship satisfaction and commitment. In this study of 174 heterosexual couples (average age of 21.5 with 58.3% identifying as Caucasian), greater social anxiety was associated with the provision and receipt of less supportive responses to shared positive events as measured by trait questionnaires, partner reports, and behavioral observations in the laboratory. In longitudinal analyses, individuals in romantic relationships with socially anxious partners who experienced inadequate capitalization support were more likely to terminate their relationship and report a decline in relationship quality six months later. As evidence of construct specificity, social anxiety effects were independent of depressive symptoms. Taken together, social anxiety influenced a person's ability to receive and provide support for shared positive events; these deficits had adverse romantic consequences. Researchers and clinicians may better understand social anxiety by exploring a wider range of interpersonal contexts and positive constructs. The addition of capitalization support to the social anxiety literature offers new insights into interpersonal approaches and treatments.     

Caregiving for Patients in Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States: Perceived Burden as a Mediator in Caregivers’ Expression of Needs and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

Involvement of family members is crucial to provide daily informal caring to patients in vegetative state and minimally conscious state. Previous studies showed that perceived burden is a risk factor for informal caregivers as it increases psychophysical distress. This research further investigated the relationship between these factors and aimed at providing a model that thoroughly describes this mechanism of functioning. In the frame of a national survey on people with disorders of consciousness, 487 informal caregivers of children and adult patients in vegetative and minimally conscious state were administered measures of depression, anxiety, caregiver needs, and family strain. Regression models proposed by Baron and Kenny and the Sobel test were adopted to investigate the relationship between depressive and anxiety symptoms, perceived burden and needs expressed. Our study shows that the relation between those symptoms and needs is mediated by burden, where higher burden accentuates and lower burden mitigates the needs expressed by caregivers. Our findings demonstrate that psychosocial components of the burden perceived by caregivers of patients with disorders of consciousness play a key role in shaping those caregivers’ needs, especially their needs for information and communication. We recommend implementation of comprehensive steps to meet the needs of these caregivers, steps that incorporate improved economic and public health programs, social support, and use of psychological interventions to ameliorate caregivers’ psychological distress and decrease their burden.     

The Relationship Between Polyvictimization,Emotion Dysregulation,and Social Support Among Emerging Adults Victimized During Childhood

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between childhood polyvictimization and social support from family and friends in emerging adulthood. Emotion dysregulation was also investigated as a potential mediator underlying this relationship. Results indicated that childhood polyvictimization was significantly related to lower reports of social support from both family and friends. Emotion dysregulation was positively related to childhood polyvictimization, and negatively related to social support from family only. Additionally, emotion dysregulation partially mediated the relationship between childhood polyvictimization and support from family, suggesting that the ability to regulate one’s emotions could be particularly influential in family relationships. Results underscore the pervasive nature of childhood polyvictimization, and offer directions for intervention efforts targeted at emerging adults with polyvictimization histories.