Social Anxiety Symptoms and Quality of Life of Secondary School Students of Abha,Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Interest in social anxiety disorder has grown substantially over the past few decades. Most of the available data from United States and European countries emphasized its high prevalence, comorbidity and morbidity and its association with occupational, educational, social affairs, stress, depression and substance use disorder contributing to poor quality of life. Present study was aimed to assess the social anxiety symptoms and to explore its impact on quality of life of secondary school students. Present study included male (n?=?200) and female (n?=?200) students enrolled at government secondary schools, Abha, Saudi Arabia. Arabic version of Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL) were implemented to assess the social anxiety symptoms and quality of life of the students. Results revealed that 45% of the students showed social anxiety symptoms. Associated factors were younger age, chronic diseases, parent’s status, parent’s occupation and income. Quality of life was found significantly lower in students with social anxiety symptoms as compared to the students without symptoms. We suggest that the school health program should include routine screening of students for social anxiety disorder. Students diagnosed with social anxiety symptoms should be promptly managed and their quality of life should be improved.     

Adult Attachment and Well-Being: Dimensions of Differentiation of Self as Mediators

This study investigated adult attachment dimensions as predictors of interpersonal forgiveness, positive emotionality, and social justice commitment through dimensions of differentiation of self. The sample consisted of 209 master’s level graduate students at a Protestant-affiliated university in the United States. Results revealed that higher attachment anxiety was associated with decreased differentiation of self and that decreased differentiation of self was then associated with lower levels of interpersonal forgiveness, positive emotionality and social justice commitment. Increased attachment avoidance was similarly associated with decreased differentiation of self, which then corresponded to lower levels of interpersonal forgiveness, positive emotionality and social justice commitment. Findings are discussed in the context of existing theory and research, and attention is given to the implications for clinical training and practice and future research.     

An exploration of the benefits of animal‐assisted activities in undergraduate students in Singapore

The rise in psychological problems, attrition, and suicide rates of university students has been linked to the stressful challenges faced during university life. To buffer this, animal assisted activities (AAA) may assist in improving psychological and physiological well‐being in students, however, to date, there is little empirical evidence for their effectiveness. Consequently, this study explored the psychological and physiological benefits of AAA in a sample of undergraduate students. Sixty‐two students from two local universities participated in an hour‐long AAA session delivered by Therapy Dogs Singapore. Measures of perceived stress, anxiety, state self‐esteem, and blood pressure (BP) were taken before and after the sessions. The results indicated that students experienced significant decreases in state anxiety, systolic, and diastolic BP post AAA, and when compared to a quiet reading comparison session. State self‐esteem increased post AAA and, further, was found to moderate the change in anxiety in addition to perceived stress, whereby perceived anxiety reduced more in those with low state self‐esteem and high perceived stress. These results suggest that AAA can be an effective intervention for stress among undergraduate students, which utilizes a novel, easy to implement and enjoyable approach for Singaporean students.     

Differentiation of self and trait anxiety: A cross‐cultural perspective

Cultural differences are likely to affect the ability to deal with anxiety. We investigated this issue among four cultural groups—Germans and Italians (Europeans living in South Tyrol, Italy), Jews and Arabs (Israelis)—in terms of their levels of differentiation of self, trait anxiety and somatic symptoms. We also examined the relationship of differentiation of self to trait anxiety and somatic symptoms. The sample consisted of 824 students: 387 Israelis (mean age 23.6) and 437 Europeans (mean age 22.3). Israeli participants reported lower levels of trait anxiety than European students. Jewish students reported lower trait anxiety than Arab students (mean difference = ?.14, p < .009), while there was no difference between German and Italian students (mean difference = .03, p > .99). Jews reported a significantly lower level of emotional cutoff than Arabs (mean difference = ?.45, p < .001), and Germans reported a significantly lower level of emotional reactivity than Italians (mean difference = .29, p < .001). Emotional reactivity and I‐position predicted all participants' trait anxiety. On the whole, results point to the importance of examining differentiation of self when trying to reduce trait anxiety, as well as some important cultural differences.     

A Review of: “Sperry,L., Carlson,J., & Peluso,P. R. (2006)”

Abstract

The study tested the relation between parents' differentiation and offspring's social anxiety, using a sample of university students and their parents to reflect family patterns across three generations. The main finding confirmed that parents' levels of differentiation (differentiation of self and family differentiation) and social anxiety were positively related to those of their offspring. This lends support to Bowen's (1978; Kerr & Bowen, 1988) contention of transmission of the family emotional process across generations. Moreover, students' social anxiety was found to be inversely related to their parents' levels of differentiation. The importance of addressing family issues in the treatment of individuals with problems related to social anxiety is indicated.     

Social anxiety and related social impairment are linked to self‐efficacy and dysfunctional coping

Thomasson, P. & Psouni, E. (2010). Social anxiety and related social impairment are linked to self‐efficacy and dysfunctional coping. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 171–178. This study investigated relationships between severity of social anxiety as well as related experiences of social impairment and self‐efficacy, social control and coping strategies. Social anxiety was regarded as a continuum ranging from mild social discomfort to totally inhibiting anxiety. Participants (N = 113, ages 19–60 years), recruited from a forum for individuals with social phobia and among university students, responded to a self‐administered questionnaire. Besides the expected association between a low sense of social control and more severe social anxiety and related social impairment, we found severity of social anxiety and related impairment to be associated with low self‐efficacy. This relationship was partly mediated by dysfunctional coping strategies. We suggest that low self‐efficacy may increase an individual’s tendency to rely on dysfunctional coping strategies for dealing with anxiety experienced in social situations. In turn, using dysfunctional coping strategies appears to exacerbate the experience of impairment from social anxiety.     

Do self-report measures of social anxiety reflect cultural bias or real difficulties for Asian American college students?

Construal of the self as independent or interdependent in relation to others has been found to correlate significantly with social anxiety symptom ratings, raising concerns about possible cultural bias in these measures for Asian Americans. To investigate the validity of self-reported social anxiety symptoms, we examined the role of ethnicity in the associations among social anxiety, self-construal, and adaptive social functioning in a sample of 229 Asian- and European American college students. Results revealed that ethnicity moderated the relationship between self-construal and social anxiety such that interdependent self-construal was associated with higher social anxiety only for first generation Asian Americans. However, there were no significant ethnic differences in the associations between social anxiety self-reports and several measures of social functioning.     

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.     

Does test anxiety bias scholastic aptitude test performance by gender and sociocultural group?

This study examines the commonly held contention that test anxiety may serve as a source of bias in the scholastic aptitude test performance of gender and ethnic minority groups. In addition, this study examines sex and sociocultural group differences in the level and pattern of test anxiety among Israeli college students. The sample was composed of 163 male and 198 female students sitting for scholastic aptitude tests routinely administered to all student applicants as part of their college admissions procedures. About 67% were of Western cultural extraction whereas the remainder were of Eastern extraction. Significant differences in text anxiety scores for males and females were observed, with greater sex group differentiation on the Emotionality than on the Worry scale. Test anxiety scores were not discernible by ethnicity or social class. Furthermore, test anxiety was not differentially related to aptitude test scores by sex or sociocultural group membership. Thus, this study lends little evidence to the common contention that test anxiety differentially debilitates the aptitude test scores of females and ethnic minority student candidates.     

Does Test Anxiety Bias Scholastic Aptitude Test Performance by Gender and Sociocultural Group?

This study examines the commonly held contention that test anxiety may serve as a source of bias in the scholastic aptitude test performance of gender and ethnic minority groups. In addition, this study examines sex and sociocultural group differences in the level and pattern of test anxiety among Israeli college students. The sample was composed of 163 male and 198 female students sitting for scholastic aptitude tests routinely administered to all student applicants as part of their college admissions procedures. About 67% were of Western cultural extraction whereas the remainder were of Eastern extraction. Significant differences in text anxiety scores for males and females were observed, with greater sex group differentiation on the Emotionality than on the Worry scale. Test anxiety scores were not discernible by ethnicity or social class. Furthermore, test anxiety was not differentially related to aptitude test scores by sex or sociocultural group membership. Thus, this study lends little evidence to the common contention that test anxiety differentially debilitates the aptitude test scores of females and ethnic minority student candidates.     

Social Anxiety and Content Specificity of Interpretation and Judgemental Bias in Children

Previous research with adult samples has demonstrated that social anxiety disorder is associated with content‐specific interpretation and judgemental biases. The present study extends our understanding of the specificity of cognitive biases in childhood social anxiety. A sample of non‐clinical children aged 11–12 years completed social anxiety and depression scales and was presented with scenarios depicting hypothetical events varying along two dimensions: relevance to self (event occurs to self or to other) and domain of activity (event is social or non‐social). Partial support for the content‐specificity hypothesis was found. Children's social anxiety symptoms were positively associated with negative interpretation ratings for ambiguous self‐referent and other‐referent events, but only when these events were in the social domain. Further, children's social anxiety symptoms were positively associated with emotional cost judgements for ambiguous social and non‐social events, but only when these events referred to the self. Both patterns of results remained significant even after controlling for concurrent depressive symptoms. Implications of the results for our understanding of maintaining factors in childhood social anxiety are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predictors of Depression and Anxiety Among International Students

The role of gender, age, race/ethnicity, length of stay, social support, and proficiency in English in the variance in depression and anxiety among international students revealed that social support was a significant predictor of depression and anxiety among international students. Age significantly contributed to the variance in anxiety, and self‐rated English proficiency uniquely contributed to the variance in both depression and anxiety. Latino/a students had significantly higher levels of depression than did Asian students.     

Victimization,social anxiety,and body dysmorphic concerns: Appearance-based rejection sensitivity as a mediator

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by extreme preoccupation with perceived deficits in physical appearance, and sufferers experience severe impairment in functioning. Previous research has indicated that individuals with BDD are high in social anxiety, and often report being the victims of appearance-based teasing. However, there is little research into the possible mechanisms that might explain these relationships. The current study examined appearance-based rejection sensitivity as a mediator between perceived appearance-based victimization, social anxiety, and body dysmorphic symptoms in a sample of 237 Australian undergraduate psychology students. Appearance-based rejection sensitivity fully mediated the relationship between appearance-based victimization and body dysmorphic symptoms, and partially mediated the relationship between social anxiety and body dysmorphic symptoms. Findings suggest that individuals high in social anxiety or those who have a history of more appearance-based victimization may have a bias towards interpreting further appearance-based rejection, which may contribute to extreme appearance concerns such as BDD.     

Social anxiety,self‐regulation,and fear of negative evaluation

Social anxiety was investigated in a self‐regulation framework in a sample of 174 undergraduates (124 females; 50 males). As expected, individuals higher in social anxiety were lower on the expectancy to achieve goals, lower on self‐esteem and lower on the frequency on self‐reinforcement. Multiple regression analyses revealed that expectancy to achieve goals, fear of negative evaluation, and public self‐consciousness accounted for 33 per cent of the variance in social anxiety. Fear of negative evaluation was found to mediate between (i) self‐esteem and social anxiety (as hypothesized) and (ii) self‐reinforcement and social anxiety (investigated in an exploratory nature). Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Social anxiety and vulnerability for problematic drinking in college students: the moderating role of post-event processing

Socially anxious college students are at increased risk for engaging in problematic drinking (i.e. heavy or risky drinking) behaviors that are associated with the development of an alcohol use disorder. The present study examined whether post-event processing (PEP), repeatedly thinking about and evaluating one’s performance in a past social situation, strengthens the association between social anxiety and vulnerability to problematic drinking among college students. Eighty-three college drinkers with high or low social anxiety participated in a social interaction task and were exposed to a manipulation that either promoted or inhibited PEP about the social interaction. Among participants randomized to the PEP promotion condition, those with high social anxiety exhibited a greater urge to use alcohol after the social interaction and greater motivation to drink to cope with depressive symptoms over the week following the manipulation than did those with low social anxiety. These findings suggest that targeting PEP in college drinking intervention programs may improve the efficacy of such programs for socially anxious students.     

Influence of attention manipulation on emotion and autonomic responses

Psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety have been associated with self-consciousness, a trait focusing on the self in terms of emotions and social images. A technique designed to shift attention away from the self tends to reduce anxiety, so the present purpose was to assess the effect of self body-state information on an individual's emotional and autonomic activity. 24 undergraduate and graduate students (10 men and 14 women), ages 19 to 27 years (M = 22.1, SD = 2.5), were recruited as subjects. Focusing on body-state during an anxiety-inducing situation led to an increase of low to high frequency ratio of heart-rate variability which reflected cardiac sympathovagal balance. That is, attending to one's own bodily states enhanced relative sympathetic activity compared to parasympathetic activity, which can be interpreted as one of the physiological emotional responses elicited by anxiety.     

Is there less to social anxiety than meets the eye? Emotion experience,expression, and bodily responding

Emotions are widely held to involve changes in experiential, behavioural, and physiological systems. It is not clear, however, just how tightly coupled these changes are during emotional responding. To examine this issue, we induced social anxiety in 47 high trait social anxiety (HTSA) and 50 low trait social anxiety (LTSA) participants using an impromptu speech paradigm. We assessed anxiety experience, behaviour, perceived physiological activation, and actual physiological activation. HTSA participants felt more anxious, perceived greater physiological activation, and exhibited more anxiety behaviour than LTSA participants. Unexpectedly, the two groups did not differ in objectively measured physiological responding. Internal analyses indicated that for both HTSA and LTSA participants, anxiety experience was associated with perceived physiological activation, but not with actual physiological responding. These results suggest that anxiety experience and perceived physiological activation may be less tightly coupled with actual physiological responses than is typically thought.     

Learning climate,academic competence,and anxiety during the transition to middle school: Parental attachment as a protective factor

IntroductionThe contribution of the learning climate and attachment security to students’ academic competence and anxiety symptoms during the middle school transition has not been examined.ObjectivesThe main purpose of this prospective study was to examine the complementary contributions of these two contextual determinants. A second goal was to test the moderating effect of attachment security perceived by students in the relationship between the learning climate and both outcomes (academic competence, anxiety symptoms).Method and resultsParticipants were 627 students in Grade 6 (54% girls). Latent structural modeling analysis revealed that a mastery climate predicted higher levels of perceived academic competence perceived in the first year of middle school, although attachment security to the mother in Grade 6 predicted perceived academic competence and anxiety symptoms in the first year of middle school. A moderating effect was found, in which greater attachment security to the mother appeared to lessen the relationship between a performance climate and anxiety symptoms during the middle school transition.ConclusionThe results suggest that attachment security to the mother predicts perceived academic competence and anxiety symptoms during the middle school transition. Additionally, attachment security to the mother can moderate the potentially harmful effects of a learning climate emphasizing social comparison and performance on anxiety.     

Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of Depression,Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) across cultures

Cross-culturally measurement invariant instruments are useful for the assessment of mental symptoms across cultures. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) (DASS) across Pakistan and Germany. German participants were recruited through an online survey (N = 1323), while Pakistani participants were recruited through online survey or paper-and-pencil survey (N = 1841). The DASS-21 showed good reliability, construct and structure validity in both countries. The DASS-21 indicated partial weak (stress subscale) and partial strong measurement invariance (depression and anxiety subscales) between both countries. Latent mean comparison of depression and anxiety symptoms between Pakistani and German students indicated that Pakistani university students experience more symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results suggest that the DASS-21 could be used in Pakistan and Germany, but caution should be taken when making direct comparisons between the two countries.     

Separation,self‐disclosure,and social evaluation anxiety as facets of trait social anxiety

In the current article, we propose an expansion of the trait anxiety concept to include interpersonal or social facets of trait anxiety involving separation from significant others and disclosing aspects of the self to others, as a supplement to the existing focus on social evaluation anxiety. Participants in three studies completed a modified version of the Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales that included a measure of trait social evaluation anxiety, as well as new measures of trait separation anxiety and trait self‐disclosure anxiety (i.e., three measures of trait social anxiety). Results showed that the social evaluation, separation, and self‐disclosure trait anxiety scales have strong psychometric properties and that they represent distinct but related components of trait anxiety. With respect to validity, the facets of trait social anxiety were predictive of related variables including self‐concealment, anxiety sensitivity, and trait worry. The theoretical and practical implications of a multifaceted approach to trait social anxiety are discussed in terms of an expanded multidimensional interaction model of anxiety. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.