Early adolescents' relationships with parents, teachers, and peers and increases in social anxiety symptoms

Anxiety and Teacher-Student Relationships in Secondary School: A Systematic Literature Review

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders experienced by adolescents. As students spend a significant amount of time within a school environment, it is not surprising that factors in the school environment have been linked to student mental health. Positive teacher-student relationships (TSRs) in children have been found to improve student mental health outcomes, with supportive TSRs associated with reduced student anxiety, and in turn, student anxiety has also been associated with reduced poorer TSR quality. The findings in adolescents are less clear. This review aimed to systematically evaluate the impact of TSRs on anxiety in secondary school students, and vice-versa using PRISMA guidelines. Searches were conducted in five databases and studies screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria, and rated for study quality by two independent researchers. Twenty-six studies across 12 countries were included. Most studies reported higher quality TSRs (e.g., those that are perceived as more supportive, caring, and warm) was associated with decreased anxiety. Conversely, TSRs that were characterised by dependence, motivational support, conflict, or harassment, were associated with increased anxiety. Most studies used a cross-sectional design and as such conclusions regarding causality as well as the direction of the effects cannot be made. However, early evidence from a limited number of longitudinal studies indicated that positive TSRs reduced anxiety over time. Future research is warranted to investigate whether anxiety affects TSRs, as well as exploring specific strategies and approaches teachers can use to establish positive relationships with their students.

The role of collective integration and parental involvement on adolescent anxiety-A multilevel analysis

BACKGROUND

Adolescent anxiety should receive more attention than it currently does since it might have long-term impacts that develop across the entire lifespan. We aim to clarify how school-, class- and individual-level factors affect adolescent anxiety and to try to identify the key mediators and moderators that help alleviate adolescent anxiety.

METHODS

We used data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), which is a longitudinal survey. A total of 7582 students aged 14-15 years (in 257 classes within 98 schools) were followed across two survey waves. Since the data are structured hierarchically, we utilized multilevel modeling with HLM 7.0 and Monte Carlo resampling with R to confirm the significance of the mediation effects. Then, we drew interaction diagrams to explain the effects of the moderator.

RESULTS

A higher share of interprovincial migrant students in the school, greater respect for teachers in the classroom, and greater self-confidence in one's personal appearance all reduce adolescent anxiety. Collective integration, as a key mediator, explains how the school-/individual-level factor affects adolescent anxiety. Parental involvement moderates the relationship between collective integration and adolescent anxiety.

LIMITATIONS

Most of the variables were self-reported by the students. The findings of this study should be applied with caution to cross-cultural contexts.

CONCLUSIONS

We advocate for a multipronged approach, particularly an approach that uses different strategies at school, class, and individual levels, to help students develop the skills needed to enhance their social inclusion and sense of personal belonging.

Relationship Between Hardiness and Social Anxiety in Chinese Impoverished College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Moderation by Perceived Social Support and Gender

During the COVID-19 epidemic, quarantine and financial disadvantages might exacerbate social anxiety among impoverished college students. Based on the hardiness model and the social support buffering model, the present study proposed and verified a dual moderation model to investigate the effects of hardiness on social anxiety and the moderating roles of gender and perceived social support. The hardiness scale, the perceived social support scale, and the social anxiety subscale of the self-consciousness scale were administered to 673 Chinese college students aged 18 to 23 years who were recognized as impoverished by the Chinese authorities and provided with funding. The results revealed that (1) hardiness had a significant negative effect on social anxiety, (2) perceived social support moderated the effect of hardiness on social anxiety, and (3) gender moderated the effect of hardiness on social anxiety. The dual moderated model proposed in the study provides practical implications for helping impoverished college students cope with social anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Familial Factors in the Development of Social Anxiety Disorder

The purpose of the current article is to explore familial factors that influence the development of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in children and adolescents, including parenting, sibling relationships, and family environment. A multitude of interrelated genetic and familial factors have been found to cause and maintain SAD in children and adolescents. There are many challenges in diagnosing and treating the disorder. Knowledge and awareness of familial factors provide insight on targeted treatments that prevent or ameliorate SAD. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 59(7), 23-34.].