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Tsarpalis-Fragkoulidis A, Tran US, Zemp M. Fears of positive and negative evaluation and their within-person associations with emotion regulation in adolescence: A longitudinal analysis. Dev Psychopathol 2024:1-13. [PMID: 39359015 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579424001366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2024]
Abstract
Fear of positive evaluation (FPE) has recently emerged as an important aspect of social anxiety, alongside fear of negative evaluation. These evaluation fears peak during adolescence, a developmental stage that is also often accompanied by difficulties in emotion regulation, thereby increasing young individuals' vulnerability to mental disorders, such as social anxiety. We aimed to examine the longitudinal within-person associations between fears of evaluation, social anxiety, and three emotion regulation strategies (i.e., acceptance, suppression, rumination) in adolescents. Data were collected from a sample of 684 adolescents through an online survey three times over the course of 6 months and were analyzed using random intercept cross-lagged panel models. At the between-person level, FPE was linked to all three emotion regulation strategies, whereas fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety were associated with acceptance and rumination. At the within-person level, difficulties in accepting emotions predicted FPE, suppression predicted social anxiety, and social anxiety predicted rumination over time. These findings reveal complex interdependencies between emotion regulation, social anxiety, and evaluation fears, both reflecting individual differences and predicting changes within individuals, and further elucidate the developmental trajectory of social anxiety in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ulrich S Tran
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martina Zemp
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Reichenberger J, Arend AK, Blechert J. Daily stress and emotions in relation to fear of negative and positive evaluation. J Anxiety Disord 2024; 107:102932. [PMID: 39332066 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2024] [Accepted: 09/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/29/2024]
Abstract
Fear of negative (FNE) and positive (FPE) evaluation constitute distinct components of social anxiety and relate to altered affectivity. It is unclear whether individuals with strong FNE/FPE overreact to social stressors only or to more unspecific ones as well. The present set of three studies (n = 109 and n = 97 healthy individuals in study 1/2, n = 49 patients with social anxiety disorder in study 3) assessed whether reactivity to various daily stressors and non-specific momentary stress/emotions assessed through ecological momentary assessment depend on individuals' level of FPE/FNE. Almost all relationships with FPE/FNE were explained by depressive symptoms, except for a unique association of FNE with reactivity to stressors from the distant social network. Relationships of FNE with momentary global stress and emotions were mixed, but again explained by depressive symptoms. More depressive symptoms were associated with higher stress, negative affect, and most stressor types as well as lower positive affect in all studies. These results show that for social stressors from the distant social network, FNE has explanatory power. They further document the role of depressive affect for reactivity to a wide range of everyday stressors and question the need for specific instruments assessing FPE/FNE unless stressors are explicitly social-evaluative in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Reichenberger
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Ann-Kathrin Arend
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jens Blechert
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
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Lange WG, Howell AN, Weeks JW. Cross-cultural validation of the BFOE model: Best practices and future directions for psychometric evaluation of the Fear of positive evaluation scale - Insights from a Dutch translation. J Anxiety Disord 2024; 107:102929. [PMID: 39326352 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 09/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
The Bivalent Fear of Evaluation (BFOE) model suggests that Social Anxiety Disorder is not only characterized by fear of negative evaluation (FNE), but also fear of positive evaluation (FPE). While FNE has been firmly established, research of the latter is accumulating. To evaluate the role of the BFOE Model, and particularly FPE, validated measures such as the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale (FPES) are pivotal. Yet, validation of psychometric properties is often at stake or neglected when translating a scale to other languages. This hampers cross-cultural evaluation of questionnaires and related concepts considerably, including the BFOE Model. To illustrate, a freely available, but not validated Dutch version of the FPES was completed, along with other measures by 354 community participants from the Netherlands and Belgium in an online study. The Dutch FPES showed excellent convergent and discriminant validity. In addition, it explained additional variance in social anxiety above and beyond FNE. These results as well as those from the factor analyses were highly comparable with those deriving from evaluations of the original English version. In conclusion, the Dutch FPES showed excellent psychometric properties and is fit for further exploring consistency or differences in the BFOE model across cultures. Based on this case, practice guidelines for international use and validation of measures are discussed, and recommendations are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolf-Gero Lange
- Behavioural Science Institute, Program of Experimental Psychopathology & Treatment, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Ashley N Howell
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 540 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37402, USA.
| | - Justin W Weeks
- Anxiety Subspecialty Treatment (AnxST) Program, Nebraska Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA.
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Tsarpalis-Fragkoulidis A, van Eickels RL, Zemp M. Please Don’t Compliment Me! Fear of Positive Evaluation and Emotion Regulation—Implications for Adolescents’ Social Anxiety. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11205979. [PMID: 36294299 PMCID: PMC9605076 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11205979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, fear of positive evaluation has emerged as one of the key aspects of social anxiety, alongside fear of negative evaluation. Fears of evaluation intensify during adolescence, a time when individuals are expected to navigate new, emotionally challenging situations. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between social anxiety, fear of positive and negative evaluation, and three emotion regulation strategies relevant to social anxiety, i.e., suppression, acceptance, and rumination. To this end, data were collected from 647 adolescents via an online survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling. We found that fear of negative evaluation was significantly related to rumination, whereas fear of positive evaluation was significantly and negatively related to acceptance. We further found an indirect effect of social anxiety on suppression via fear of positive evaluation and acceptance in a serial mediation and an indirect effect of social anxiety on rumination via fear of negative evaluation. Not only do fears of positive and negative evaluation appear to be distinct constructs, but they are also differentially associated with three emotion regulation strategies pertinent to social anxiety. Fear of evaluation and its associations with emotion regulation deficits might hinder the therapeutic process by acting as a deterrent to positive reinforcement or potentially impeding the development of a successful therapeutic alliance.
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Reichenberger J, Wiggert N, Wilhelm FH, Liedlgruber M, Voderholzer U, Hillert A, Timmer B, Blechert J. Fear of negative and positive evaluation and reactivity to social-evaluative videos in social anxiety disorder. Behav Res Ther 2019; 116:140-148. [PMID: 30921745 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is marked by persistent fear of being scrutinized by others. This and most diagnostic symptoms relate to some form of fear of negative evaluation (FNE). More recent accounts of SAD, such as the Bivalent Fear of Evaluation Model, however, complement FNE with fear of positive evaluation (FPE), described as distress and avoidance of positive feedback. An explicit test of the incremental validity of FPE in discriminating SAD patients from controls - over and on top of the explanatory power of FPE - is currently missing and generally, well controlled laboratory experiments with positive and negative social stimuli in this patient group are rare. To fill this gap, we exposed 35 patients with SAD and healthy controls (HCs) to short social-evaluative video clips with actors expressing negative and positive as well as neutral statements while recording reactivity on experiential measures (valence, arousal, and approval ratings) as well as on facial electromyography and electrocardiography. In addition, participants completed questionnaire measures of FNE and FPE. Results revealed that FPE questionnaire scores as well as experiential (valence and appreciation) and electromyographical reactivity measures to positive videos improved prediction of group membership beyond the predictive power of FNE questionnaires scores and reactivity to negative videos. Results document the importance of FPE to more fully characterize and understand social anxiety and SAD. Implications include amendments to future diagnostic criteria, theoretical models, and treatment approaches for SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Reichenberger
- Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Nicole Wiggert
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Brandenburg Medical School, Neuruppin, Germany
| | - Frank H Wilhelm
- Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Michael Liedlgruber
- Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Ulrich Voderholzer
- Schön Klinik Roseneck [Schoen Hospital Roseneck], Prien am Chiemsee, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Hillert
- Schön Klinik Roseneck [Schoen Hospital Roseneck], Prien am Chiemsee, Germany
| | - Barbara Timmer
- Schön Klinik Roseneck [Schoen Hospital Roseneck], Prien am Chiemsee, Germany
| | - Jens Blechert
- Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria.
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Reichenberger J, Blechert J. Malaise with praise: A narrative review of 10 years of research on the concept of Fear of Positive Evaluation in social anxiety. Depress Anxiety 2018; 35:1228-1238. [PMID: 30144225 PMCID: PMC6519229 DOI: 10.1002/da.22808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety is characterized by a fear of being negatively evaluated by others (i.e., Fear of Negative Evaluation [FNE]). In 2008, Weeks, Heimberg, and Rodebaugh proposed Fear of Positive Evaluation (FPE) as a second cognitive component in social anxiety. The article presents an overview of FPE, its psycho-evolutionary theoretical foundation and assessment by the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale as well as relevant psychometric research on demographic characteristics. The relationship of FPE with a wide range of established dimensions from clinical, personality, and social psychology (i.e., self-esteem, perfectionism, or quality of life) will be reviewed. The role of FPE for psychological comorbidities such as other anxiety disorders, depression, eating, and substance use disorders as well as for treatment of social anxiety will be discussed. Future research might address questions of causality of FPE relative to related constructs, further data on psychometric properties, as well as on its independence from FNE in longitudinal studies. In sum, FPE seems to be a valid and reliable construct that explains cognitions, emotions, and behavior related to social anxiety at subclinical and clinical levels and therefore enriches the psychometric repertoire in the fields of social psychology, personality, and clinical psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Reichenberger
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
| | - Jens Blechert
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
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Reichenberger J, Smyth JM, Blechert J. Fear of evaluation unpacked: day-to-day correlates of fear of negative and positive evaluation. ANXIETY STRESS AND COPING 2017; 31:159-174. [DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2017.1396826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Reichenberger
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Joshua M. Smyth
- Departments of Biobehavioral Health and Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Jens Blechert
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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Reichenberger J, Wiggert N, Agroskin D, Wilhelm FH, Blechert J. No praise, please: Depressive symptoms, reactivity to positive social interaction, and fear of positive evaluation. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2017; 54:186-194. [PMID: 27575634 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/16/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression is characterized by depressed mood and loss of interest or pleasure. Resulting alterations in emotional reactivity have been explained by three different accounts: 'positive attenuation', 'negative potentiation', and 'emotion context insensitivity'. Despite the importance of depression-related emotional alteration in social interactions, research with naturalistic interpersonal stimuli is scarce and underlying mechanisms largely unknown. METHODS Hence, the present study examined subjective emotional reactivity to brief negative, positive, and neutral social-evaluative videos as a function of depressive symptoms in an adult sample (N = 84). Fear of positive evaluation (FPE) and fear of negative evaluation (FNE), often conceptualized as cognitive components of social anxiety, were examined as possible mediators. RESULTS Results revealed that more depression symptoms were related to diminished pleasantness responses to both positive and neutral videos. When considering all three video conditions simultaneously, only responses to positive videos remained significantly related to depression scores, supporting the 'positive attenuation' account. Moreover, FPE was found to uniquely mediate the relationship between depressive symptoms and pleasantness responses to positive videos. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that emotional reactivity to positive interpersonal stimuli is relevant for theoretical and clinical considerations of depression. This research underlines the importance of FPE not only for understanding social anxiety but also depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Reichenberger
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Nicole Wiggert
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Dmitrij Agroskin
- Division of Social Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Frank H Wilhelm
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Health Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jens Blechert
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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