Prospective Associations Between Fears of Negative Evaluation, Fears of Positive Evaluation, and Social Anxiety Symptoms in Adolescence

Relationship between fear of evaluation, ambivalence over emotional expression, and self-compassion among university students

BACKGROUND

This study focuses on college students as research subjects, exploring the relationship between fear of evaluation, ambivalence over emotional expression, and self-care, as well as the moderating effect of self-care on the prediction of ambivalence over emotional expression by fear of evaluation.

METHODS

This study selected physical education college students in Sichuan Province as the research participants. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants through public recruitment information and questionnaire links on online platforms commonly used by college students. The questionnaire was distributed at two different time points to reduce the effect of common method bias. A total of 858 questionnaires were distributed, after excluding duplicate responses, a total of 743 valid questionnaires were obtained.

RESULTS

The result as following: (1) College students exhibit a moderate to high level of negative fear of evaluation, ambivalence over emotional expression, and self-care, with female students having higher negative fear of evaluation; (2) There are significant correlations between fear of evaluation, ambivalence over emotional expression, and self-care; (3) Fear of evaluation and self-care can predict ambivalence over emotional expression, but self-care does not have a moderating effect on the prediction of ambivalence over emotional expression by fear of evaluation; (4) Self-care and negative self-care both have a moderating effect on the prediction of emotion rumination by positive fear of evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

In the past, rumination has often been considered a manifestation of excessive rumination and anxiety. However, this study found that self-compassion's modulation on fear of positive evaluation intensifies its impact on emotional rumination. Research suggests that moderate emotional rumination may not necessarily be a negative outcome and reflects a positive emotional adjustment process to some extent. Therefore, future studies can further explore the growth and decline of internal rumination processes in self-compassion or counseling, and potentially gain a better understanding of key elements of personal growth.

Fear of positive evaluation differentially predicts social anxiety: a six-month longitudinal panel study

This study investigated whether (a) fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and fear of positive evaluation (FPE) prospectively predict the other, (b) FPE predicts social anxiety controlling for FNE, and (c) FPE predicts social anxiety symptoms but not general anxiety and depression. Data were collected from a student sample at two time points over six months. The cross-lagged structural equation modeling results revealed that FNE and FPE do not prospectively predict the other, FPE positively predicts social anxiety symptoms controlling for FNE, and FPE does not significantly predict general anxiety or depression. These results confirmed that FNE and FPE are distinctively related to social anxiety. Moreover, the study findings indicated that FPE may be a factor unique to social anxiety.

From fears of evaluation to social anxiety: The longitudinal relationships and neural basis in healthy young adults

BACKGROUND

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common mental health problem, and its core cognitive manifestation is the persistent fear of being evaluated, including both negatively (FNE) and positively (FPE). This study aimed to examine the longitudinal relationships of FNE, FPE and SAD and explore their neural basis.

METHODS

Three samples were retrieved in this study. First, the data of 649 college students who completed a survey and fMRI scan were used to explore the neural basis of FNE, FPE, and SAD symptoms. Next, the data of 450 participants who completed the same survey twice were used to examine the longitudinal relationships of the variables. Finally, the overlapping of the two samples (N = 288) who completed two surveys and the fMRI scan were used to establish a brain-behavior model.

RESULTS

Both FNE and FPE predicted SAD, and SAD also predicted FPE. The neural signals of subregions in prefrontal cortex were correlated with the scores of FNE, FPE and SAD. Abnormal prefrontal signals influenced SAD symptoms via fears of evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings explain the behavioral and neural underpinnings of social anxiety from a fear of evaluation angle. This contributes to a better theorical understanding of SAD and clinical practice.

The Prevalence of Adolescent Social Fears and Social Anxiety Disorder in School Contexts

Social fears arise when fearing to be judged in social events. When these fears are intense, persistent, and debilitating, the individual may suffer from social anxiety disorder (SAD), which has its most frequent onset during adolescence and tends to be chronic. Still, evidence on the prevalence of social fears and SAD in adolescence is scarce. This study analyzed the prevalence of social fears and of SAD in Portuguese adolescents. Of the initial sample (n = 1495), 26% presented with intense self-reported social fears. Of those, 53.9% accepted to be further assessed for diagnosis, resulting in a point-estimate prevalence of adolescent SAD of 9.4%; this is slightly higher than previously found. Social performance was the most feared social event. Of the adolescents with SAD, 12.9% were receiving psychological intervention, 12.1% refused intervention, and 92 (65.7%) accepted intervention. Findings confirm SAD as a highly prevalent mental disorder among adolescents, particularly girls, and additionally, that most of these adolescents did not seek treatment but are willing to receive help if made available. Hence, schools should be invested not only in identifying vulnerable adolescents but also in providing diverse intervention options, tailored to their needs, and directing them to successful developmental trajectories.