Self-esteem and fear of negative evaluation as mediators between family socioeconomic status and social anxiety in Chinese emerging adults

The relationship between fear of negative evaluation, physical activity, eating behavior and psychological distress among nursing students

BACKGROUND

The aim of this research is to explore the interrelationships between different psychological issues and the potential role of eating behavior and physical activity among nursing students.

METHODS

Undergraduate nursing students (n = 892) from some medical universities in China were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling methods using online platforms. Participants completed measures on demographics, fear of negative evaluation (FNE), social avoidance and distress (SAD), psychological distress (DASS), disordered eating behavior (TFEQ) and physical activity. The relationship models among the aforementioned variables were established using Process 3.5.

RESULTS

A total of 290 males and 602 females were included in this study. The average FNE score of students was (39.44 ± 8.78), SAD was (13.83 ± 7.06), DASS was (22.45 ± 20.47), and TFEQ was (56.09 ± 12.57), respectively. TFEQ and SAD independently and jointly acted as mediators in the relationship between FNE and DASS. Physical activity played a moderating role, with the interaction effect between FNE and groups Q2, Q3, and Q4 determined to be 0.407 (95%CI 0.136 to 0.678), 0.328 (95%CI 0.061 to 0.596) and 0.332 (95%CI 0.073 to 0.591), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study supports that disordered eating behaviors have a negative impact on mechanisms of psychological changes, and enhancing physical activity is an effective prevention strategy for psychological distress and disordered eating behaviors among nursing students.

Supervisor's neuroticism and problematic Internet use among graduate students: the mediating role of supervisor-student relationship quality and the moderating role of fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation

BACKGROUND

Graduate students exhibit vulnerability to problematic Internet use, which can result in adverse physical, psychological, and social consequences. However, limited studies have addressed this issue among graduate students, and even fewer have explored the unique factors contributing to their problematic Internet use. Therefore, to address this gap, the current study aims to probe the relationship between supervisor's neuroticism and problematic Internet use among graduate students, the mediating effect of the supervisor-student relationship quality, as well as the moderating effect of fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 at three universities in Beijing, China. Anonymous data from 448 graduate students were collected regarding problematic Internet use, supervisor's neuroticism, supervisor-student relationship quality, and the fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation. A moderated mediation analysis was performed using Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 14).

RESULTS

Supervisor's neuroticism was positively linked to graduate students' problematic Internet use, supervisor-student relationship quality mediated the linkage, and fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation played a moderating role in the second stage. Specifically, for students lower in fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation, supervisor-student relationship quality negatively predicted students' problematic Internet use. While for the graduate students higher in fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation, supervisor-student relationship quality could not significantly predict students' problematic Internet use. The mediating effect was only significant for graduate students lower in fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study established a theoretical model linking supervisor's neuroticism to graduate students' problematic Internet use, highlighting the potential roles of supervisor-student relationship quality and fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation. Reducing the neuroticism level of the supervisor, enhancing the quality of the supervisor-student relationship, and mitigating students' fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation will contribute to the reduction of problematic Internet use among graduate students.

Examining an integrated path model of psychological and sociocultural predictors of camouflaging in autistic adults

LAY ABSTRACT

Many autistic people use strategies known as 'camouflaging' to change how noticeable their autistic traits are in social situations. Previous research suggests that camouflaging is largely motivated by psychological and social factors. However, most studies so far have only looked at a few psychosocial factors related to camouflaging. In this study, we explored a model that included several individual psychological factors (such as fear of being negatively judged, self-esteem and autistic identity) and broader social and cultural factors (such as perceived stigma, negative life events, cultural emphasis on conformity and desire to fit in or stand out). We surveyed 225 autistic adults aged 18-77 years online. Our findings showed that several sociocultural factors were indirectly linked to camouflaging through individual psychological factors. Fear of being negatively judged emerged as a strong predictor of camouflaging. Specifically, autistic adults who perceived greater stigma, felt greater pressure to conform, had a lesser desire to stand out and a greater desire to fit in tended to experience a greater fear of being negatively judged and reported more camouflaging. In addition, those who experienced more negative life events were more likely to engage in camouflaging. Our study identifies key psychological and social factors as potential targets for social change. Our findings emphasise that our societies need to shift away from stigmatising attitudes towards accepting and including autistic people, which could reduce the pressure on autistic individuals to camouflage in social situations.

Linear and curvilinear association of pain tolerance and social anxiety symptoms among youth with different subgroups of childhood trauma

BACKGROUND

Social anxiety is a common symptom that occurs after exposure to childhood trauma (CT), and pain tolerance is a protective factor against social anxiety in generic populations with CT. However, few studies have investigated whether and how this association varies across different CT subgroups. Thus, this study aimed to investigate (1) the effects of pain tolerance on social anxiety symptoms among youth with different subgroups of CT; (2) the nonlinear relationship between pain tolerance and social anxiety symptoms among different CT categories.

METHODS

In this study, 15,682 college or university students with experiences of CT were identified in a large sample and divided into five CT subgroups. Linear and quadratic regression models were conducted to explore the association between pain tolerance and social anxiety symptoms among youth with different CT subgroups.

RESULTS

The results of model revealed a linear relationship between pain tolerance and social anxiety symptoms among youth with most CT subgroups. Notably, an inverted U-shaped curve was found between pain tolerance and social anxiety symptoms in youth with emotional abuse. Social anxiety symptoms increased gradually with pain tolerance scores between 0 and 16, and then sharply decreased when scores reached above 16.

LIMITATIONS

Limited by self-report measurements, the results of this study focused only on perceived pain tolerance and ignored behavioral pain tolerance.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the importance of assessing pain tolerance thresholds in youth with emotional abuse and improving pain tolerance to prevent social anxiety symptoms in youth with different subgroups of CT.

The relationships between self-esteem, self-efficacy, and test anxiety: A cross-lagged study

The aim of the present study was to illuminate the causal relationships between self-esteem and test anxiety, as well as between general self-efficacy and test anxiety using two-wave longitudinal research design with a sample of 252 Chinese college students. After controlling for gender, grade and autoregressive effects, the results revealed that (1) self-esteem at T1 did not significantly predict test anxiety at T2; (2) general self-efficacy at T1 did not significantly predict test anxiety at T2; (3) test anxiety at T1 significantly and negatively predicted self-esteem at T2; and (4) test anxiety at T1 marginally significantly and negatively predicted general self-efficacy at T2. These results suggest that test anxiety is more likely to affect self-esteem and general self-efficacy rather than vice versa, and that the causal relationship between self-esteem and test anxiety are clearer than the causal relationship between general self-efficacy and test anxiety. However, given the limitation of the longitudinal research using cross-lagged analysis for revealing causality, these results should be viewed with caution.

Examining the Relationship Between Maladaptive Perfectionism and Social Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion

Previous studies have indicated a relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety symptoms, but the mechanisms between these concepts are not well-defined yet. This study focused on the mediator role of self-compassion in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and social anxiety symptoms controlling self-esteem. It is hypothesized that maladaptive perfectionism would be related to lower levels of self-compassion and lower levels of self-compassion related to greater social anxiety symptoms controlling self-esteem. The sample consisted of 389 university students who completed a battery of instruments, including measures of The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), The Big Three Perfectionism Scale (BTPS), The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Simple mediation analyses with bootstrapping demonstrated that self-compassion has a significant mediator role in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and social anxiety when self-esteem is not included in the model. However, results also revealed that the indirect effect of self-compassion is no longer significant when self-esteem is included in the model as a covariate. Findings suggest that self-compassion has no mediator role independent from self-esteem in the context of perfectionism and social anxiety.

Fear of positive evaluation mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and fear of negative evaluation in nursing students: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Fear of evaluation (including the negative and positive ones) has been the focus of scholarly attention as one of the core components of social anxiety. However, most existing research has focused on participants with social anxiety. Previous research has suggested that self-efficacy and fear of positive evaluation are associated with fear of negative evaluation. Still, it remains unknown whether there is an association between the three. For undergraduate nursing students in complex social environments, understanding the association between self-efficacy and fear of positive and negative evaluation is essential to facilitate the high-quality development of nursing talent.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to explore the mediating role of fear of positive evaluation in the relationship between self-efficacy and fear of negative evaluation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 824 undergraduate nursing students using the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale-Straightforward Items, the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation of the variables. t-test or ANOVA was used as a univariate analysis. A bootstrap test was conducted to verify the mediating effect through the SPSS macro plugin PROCESS v3.3, with P < 0.05 indicating a statistically significant difference.

FINDINGS

Self-efficacy, fear of positive evaluation, and fear of negative evaluation were significantly associated. Self-efficacy directly and negatively predicted fear of negative evaluation (B = -3.14, p < 0.001). Fear of positive evaluation partially mediated between self-efficacy and fear of negative evaluation, with a mediating effect size of 38.22 %.

DISCUSSION

Self-efficacy can directly and negatively influence fear of negative evaluation. Meanwhile, it can also indirectly reduce the fear of negative evaluation by reducing the fear of positive evaluation. Nursing educators can improve the fear of negative evaluation by increasing students' self-efficacy and encouraging them to view positive assessments correctly.

The reciprocal relationship between depression, social anxiety and aggression in Chinese adolescents: The moderating effects of family functioning

BACKGROUND

Depression, social anxiety, and aggression often co-occur in adolescents. Several theoretical models have been proposed to explain the temporal relationships of these symptoms, with relevant empirical evidence mixed. The role of environmental factors should be taken into consideration.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the temporal relationship between depression, social anxiety, and aggression in adolescents, and to extend previous work by exploring the moderating effects of family functioning.

METHOD

A total of 1947 Chinese adolescents completed the survey questionnaires at two time points: family functioning at baseline, and depression, social anxiety, and aggression at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Data was analyzed using a cross-lagged model.

RESULTS

Bidirectional positive association was found between depression and aggression. However, although social anxiety predicted subsequent depression and aggression, the opposite relationship was not found. Moreover, favorable family functioning alleviated depression and moderated the prediction of social anxiety to depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggested that clinicians should pay attention to the underlying depressive symptoms of adolescents with aggressive behaviors, and to the level of aggression of adolescents with depression. Interventions on social anxiety may prevent the transformation of social anxiety to depression and aggression. Adaptive family functioning may act as a protective factor for the comorbid depression in adolescents with social anxiety, which can be targeted by relevant interventions.

The relationship between self-esteem and mobile phone addiction among college students: The chain mediating effects of social avoidance and peer relationships

Introduction

Mobile phone addiction has a negative impact on the physical and mental health of college students, which has attracted extensive attention from scholars.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the mechanism of the influence of self-esteem on mobile phone addiction among 694 college students using the Self-Esteem Scale, the Mobile Phone. Addiction Scale, the Peer Relationship Scale and the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale.

Results

The results showed that (1) self-esteem significantly and negatively predicted mobile phone addiction; (2) self-esteem influenced mobile phone addiction through the mediating effect of social avoidance; (3) self-esteem influenced mobile phone addiction through the mediating effect of peer relationships; and (4) social avoidance and peer relationships played a chain mediating role in the influence of self-esteem on mobile phone addiction.

Discussion

These findings can help researchers and educators better understand the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between self-esteem and mobile phone addiction and to provide practical and effective operational suggestions for the prevention and intervention of mobile phone addiction among college students.

The relationship between social anxiety and self-injury of junior high school students: Mediation by intolerance of uncertainty and moderation by self-esteem

Objective

The problem of adolescents' self-injury has gradually attracted social attention, however, a lack of research exists on the internal mechanism between social anxiety and self-injury. This study explored the relationship between social anxiety and self-injury in Chinese junior high school students.

Method

An adolescent self-injury questionnaire, social anxiety scale, intolerance of uncertainty questionnaire and self-injury questionnaire were used to survey 614 junior high school students.

Results

The results showed that: (1) social anxiety had a significant positive predictive effect on self-injury; (2) intolerance of uncertainty had a significant mediating effect between social anxiety and self-injury; and (3) self-esteem had a significant moderating effect on the mediating effect of intolerance of uncertainty.

Conclusion

The study suggested that social anxiety in junior high school students has an impact on self-injury through mediation of intolerance of uncertainty and modulation of self-esteem.

Perceived stress from interpersonal relations predicts suicidal ideation in Chinese university students: Roles of meaning in life and coping humor

Existing studies emphasize that interpersonal relationships are closely associated with the increased risk of suicidal ideation (SI). However, the mechanism underlying this association remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how and under what conditions the perceived stress from interpersonal relations links to SI. Also we explored the possible important roles of meaning in life and coping humor. A total of 1472 Chinese freshmen completed self-reported questionnaires of thwarted belongingness (TB), fear of negative evaluation (FNE), meaning in life, coping humor, and SI. Our results showed that SI was associated with more TB and FNE, and it was linked to less meaning in life and coping humor. Importantly, two dimensions of meaning in life mediated the associations between TB, FNE, and SI. Specifically, TB increased SI by destroying both presence of meaning and search for meaning while FNE increased SI by destroying presence of meaning, but not by search for meaning. Additionally, coping humor attenuated the effect of FNE on SI. Our findings highlight the protective roles of meaning in life and coping humor in the link between perceived stress from interpersonal relations and SI among Chinese university students. These results provide feasible advices for practitioners to carry out suicide prevention and intervention.

The effects of stress on adolescents' school engagement

PROBLEM

Adolescents experience stress due to physical, cognitive, emotional and sexual development. This descriptive study was conducted to find out whether stress experienced by adolescents affected their school engagement.

METHODS

The sample was 440 students studying in a high schools in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey between October 2020 and January 2021. The data were collected using the Sociodemographic Information Form, the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ-S) and the School Engagement Scale.

FINDINGS

Statistically significant differences were found between adolescents' sociodemographic characteristics and mean scores on the ASQ-S subdimension and total scores (p ˂ 0.05). A strong negative association was found between adolescents' ASQ mean subdimension and total scores and their School Engagement Scale mean subdimension and total scores (p ˂ 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

It was found that adolescents' sociodemographic characteristic affected their stress levels and school engagement and that high stress levels experienced by adolescents negatively affected their school engagement.

Fear of negative evaluation and suicidal ideation among college students: the moderating role of impulsivity-like traits

Objective: Fear of negative evaluation (FNE) is a key trait of social anxiety and has been linked to isolation and low self-esteem. Impulsivity has been shown to amplify the risk of socially anxious individuals engaging in risky behaviors such as suicidal behaviors; yet little research has examined associations between FNE and suicidality or the relationship between FNE and impulsivity. Participants/Methods: This study tested whether FNE was associated with suicidal ideation in a sample of 1,816 college students from 10 universities. Analyses also examined whether impulsivity-like traits moderated the relationship between FNE and suicidal ideation. Results: Results showed that FNE was significantly associated with suicidal ideation and the positive association between FNE and suicidal ideation was strongest among individuals with higher negative urgency and lower perseverance. Conclusions: These findings highlight FNE as an important risk factor of suicidal ideation in college students and illuminates potential influence of impulsivity on this relationship.

The Role of Self-Esteem in the Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Anxiety of Left-Behind Experience College Students During COVID-19 Pandemic: An Online Study

Background

There is growing evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on public mental health. However, less attention has been paid to left-behind experience college students (LBEs). This online study aimed to investigate the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap) and anxiety among LBEs during COVID-19 pandemic, and further analyze the mediation role of self-esteem between them.

Methods

A total of 9990 students were chosen using the stratified cluster sampling method. Three self-reported questionnaires were used to assess the PsyCap, self-esteem, and anxiety, respectively. All the statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 23.0 and R, and to further investigate the mediation effect of self-esteem in the association of PsyCap with anxiety, AMOS 23.0 was used to build a structural equation model.

Results

PsyCap, self-esteem, and anxiety were significantly correlated among LBEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. PsyCap affects anxiety directly (β = -0.22, SE = 0.051, 95% CI: -0.27, -0.17, P < 0.05). In addition, self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between PsyCap and anxiety (mediating effect value = -0.16, 95% CI: -0.20, -0.13, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

During the pandemic of COVID-19, left-behind experience had a negative influence on the PsyCap and self-esteem of college students. In addition, for LBEs, self-esteem plays an important mediating role between PsyCap and anxiety. Therefore, from the perspective of PsyCap and self-esteem, schools should translate them into practical educational strategies to enhance the mental health and mitigate the anxiety levels of LBEs.

The role of fear of negative evaluation on the effects of self-control on affective states and life satisfaction: a moderated mediation analysis

Previous studies have found a robust positive relationship between trait self-control and life satisfaction mediated by both positive and negative affect, but the simultaneous inclusion of the effect of apprehension of being evaluated by others is less commonly investigated. The present study aimed to examine (1) whether the relationship between self-control and life satisfaction was mediated by positive affect and negative affect in parallel, and (2) whether fear of negative evaluation would moderate the strengths of the mediational pathways. With a sample of two hundred fifty university students in Hong Kong, mediational analysis (ME) revealed that both positive affect and negative affect were the mediators between self-control and life satisfaction. Subsequent moderated mediation analysis (moME) supported the moderating role of fear of negative evaluation on the mediational pathway through positive affect, but not on the pathway through negative affect. In particular, higher scores on fear of negative evaluation would attenuate the strength of association between self-control and positive affect. Therefore, to optimize university students' well-being and mental health functioning, treatment modalities should target both behavioral (i.e., self-control) and socio-emotional (i.e., apprehension of being evaluated critically from others) aspects.

Mediating effects of self-esteem on the relationship between mindful parenting and social anxiety level in Chinese adolescents

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mindful parenting and social anxiety level in Chinese adolescents and to explore the mediating roles of self-esteem between mindful parenting and social anxiety level. A total of 302 adolescents and their main caregivers were investigated by using the Chinese version of the Mindful Parenting Scale, Self-Esteem Scale and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the Social Anxiety Scale. Related analysis was used to investigate the relationship between mindful parenting, self-esteem and social anxiety level. Mindful parenting and self-esteem were significantly associated with social anxiety level. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between mindful parenting and social anxiety level. Both mindful discipline and being in the moment influenced adolescents' social anxiety level through self-esteem. Self-esteem completely mediated the association between mindful parenting and social anxiety level. Longitudinal research is needed to better understand the relationship between mindful parenting and social anxiety level in adolescents.

Clarifying the association of social anxiety with cognitive variables: The role of self-esteem, self-perception, fears of positive and negative evaluation, and post-event processing

Theoretical models of social anxiety disorder (SAD) have identified several cognitive factors (fear of negative evaluation [FNE], self-perception, self-esteem, and post-event processing [PEP]) that play a role in the maintenance of the disorder. The current study aimed at testing both the cognitive factors addressed in these different models and the fear of positive evaluation (FPE) in the same construct. A non-clinical emerging adulthood sample (N = 325) were subjected to structural equation modeling (SEM). The results of the SEM showed that FPE, FNE, and self-concepts (self-esteem and self-perception) were significantly associated with social anxiety. Effect sizes indicated that the variables that most affected social anxiety were FPE, self-perception, FNE, and self-esteem, respectively. However, although it was significant in the conceptual model, the direct effect of social anxiety on PEP was not significant in the full model. On the other hand, the present findings add further support to the roles of negative self-perception and low self-esteem in social anxiety. Moreover, FPE may not be just delayed/postponed FNE. Considering the effect size of FPE on social anxiety, targeting it when appropriate in treatment may reduce the severity of social anxiety.

The role of socioeconomic status in different trajectories of depressive symptoms in Chinese college freshmen

The associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and depressive symptoms have been found in previous studies. However, the role of SES in different trajectories of depressive symptoms in Chinese college freshmen has not been discovered. The present study aims to identify how depressive symptom trajectories are related to SES during the first semester of freshman. Six hundred fifty-two Chinese college freshmen (64.9% female) were followed 4 times across 4 months. The Latent Growth Mixture Model (LGMM) was used to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms. Multinomial Logical Regression was used to identify the influence of family socioeconomic status (FSES), subjective socioeconomic status (SSS), and demographic variables on trajectories of depressive symptoms for freshmen. Results found that college freshmen’s depressive symptoms gradually decreased during the four tests, F(2.758, 1795.383) = 52.642, p < 0.001, and there are three trajectories of depressive symptoms: normal group (Class 1, 73.1%), depression risk group (Class 2, 20.7%), and depression deterioration group (Class 3, 6.1%). The decline of SSS predicted increasing depressive symptoms. Age and left-behind experience have significant effects on trajectories of depressive symptoms. FSES, birthplace, and gender had no significant impact on trajectories of depressive symptoms. These results demonstrated that low SSS, age, and left-behind might be risk factors for the development of depressive symptoms.

Early Adolescent Social Anxiety: Differential Associations for Fathers' and Mothers' Psychologically Controlling and Autonomy-Supportive Parenting

Although psychologically controlling and autonomy-supportive parenting are important indicators of social anxiety during early adolescence, less research has explored distinct roles of father and mother parenting, especially in interdependent-oriented culture. This 3-year longitudinal study examined the reciprocal associations between such parenting and early adolescent social anxiety from multi-informants in the Chinese context. A sample of 1,140 Chinese early adolescents (51.1% boys; M_age = 10.50 years) and their parents participated at Wave 1. The results did not reveal reciprocal relations between fathers' reported parenting and social anxiety, but indicated paternal parenting effects from boys' perceptions of autonomy support to social anxiety, and child effects from social anxiety to girls' perceived psychological control. Maternal parenting effects were present for boys' perceptions of autonomy support and girls' perceptions of psychological control. The findings highlight the distinct roles of father and mother parenting across child gender and suggest differentiated relations of parenting to social anxiety during early adolescence in the Chinese context.

Social Achievement Goals in Chinese Undergraduates: Associations With Self-Esteem and Symptoms of Social Anxiety and Depression

The pursuit of relationship goals is critical to the wellbeing of young adults. This study investigated different achievement goals toward social competence as potential predictors of social anxiety and depression symptoms. It proposed that self-esteem may function as a mediator on the pathway from endorsing social achievement goals to undergraduates' concurrent and longitudinal social anxiety and depression symptoms. Social achievement goal theory proposes three types of goals: social mastery goals (striving to improve one's social competence), social performance-approach goals (striving to prove one's social competence and win positive evaluation), and social performance-avoid goals (striving to avoid incompetent social behaviors and negative evaluation). One hundred and eighty-five Chinese undergraduates aged from 18 to 23 (50% female) completed this study across two-time points. Path analyses indicated that social mastery (marginally) and performance-approach goals were positively associated with self-esteem, whereas social performance-avoid goals were negatively associated with self-esteem; self-esteem was negatively associated with the concurrent social anxiety and depression symptoms and the longitudinal depression symptoms. The proposed mediation effects of self-esteem on the links from three types of social achievement goals to the concurrent and longitudinal social anxiety and depression symptoms were significant except on the links from social mastery goals and social performance-approach goals to the subsequent social anxiety symptoms. Self-esteem and the baseline social anxiety and depressive symptoms have a chain mediating effect between social achievement goals and the longitudinal symptoms of social anxiety and depression. These findings suggest that the pursuit of social mastery goals and performance-approach goals in initiating and maintaining social relationships boosts undergraduates' self-worth and reduces their concurrent and longitudinal depression experiences. However, the strivings to hide inadequacy and avoid negative evaluation in social contexts impede one's self-worth and increase concurrent and longitudinal social anxiety and depression symptoms. Implications and limitations are discussed.

The relationship between depression and social avoidance of college students: A moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

The fact that depression and anxiety are highly prevalent and often co-occur has been well documented. The present study hypothesized that loneliness and interpersonal trust mediate the relationship between depression and social anxiety, with self-esteem playing a moderating role.

METHODS

1021 college students completed the interpersonal trust scale (ITS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), UCLA loneliness scale, self-esteem scale (SES), and social avoidance and distress (SAD) scale. And descriptive statistical analysis and correlation analysis, structural equation model analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

1) The correlations between depression, loneliness, interpersonal trust, self-esteem and social avoidance were all statistically significant. 2) Loneliness and interpersonal trust mediated the relationship between depression and social avoidance. 3) Self-esteem moderated the relationship between interpersonal trust and social avoidance. Specifically, compared with individuals who had high self-esteem, social avoidance in those with low self-esteem individuals was more susceptible to the effects of interpersonal trust.

LIMITATIONS

First, the questionnaire data may be influenced by social approval. Second, most of the participants were college students. Finally, the causal relationship between the variables could not be inferred.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicated that loneliness and interpersonal trust played mediating roles between depression and social avoidance, and the relationship between interpersonal trust and social avoidance was moderated by self-esteem. It provides a new way to explain the mechanism of depression, and a new perspective for the clinical intervention of depression, that is, from the perspective of their self-experience and self-esteem.

Financial scarcity undermines health across the globe and the life course

The gradient between income and health is well established: the lower the income, the poorer the health. However, low income (having few economic resources) may not be enough to characterize economic vulnerability, and financial scarcity (perceiving having insufficient economic resources) may further reduce health. First, analysis of cross-national data (275,000+ participants from 200+ country-years) revealed that financial scarcity was associated with twice the odds of suffering from reduced self-rated health and feelings of unhappiness; this association was observed in ≈90% of the country-years and explained variance over and above income. Second, analysis of national longitudinal data (20,000+ participants over 20 years of assessment) revealed that facing financial scarcity in the course of one's life decreased self-rated and objective health and increased feelings of depression; again, these effects explained variance over and above income. Two subsidiary findings were obtained: (i) three adverse life events (illness, separation, family conflicts) predicted financial scarcity over the life course, and (ii) self-mastery (a component of sense of control) accounted for the detrimental longitudinal effects of financial scarcity on health. This research suggests that to understand socioeconomic inequality in health, one should consider not only an individual's quantity of monetary resources but also the perceived sufficiency of these resources.

Peer Phubbing and Social Networking Site Addiction: The Mediating Role of Social Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Family Financial Difficulty

A growing body of research has pinpointed the consequences as well as mechanisms of phubbing. However, few studies have explored the relationship between peer phubbing and social networking site addiction. Based on the self-determination theory, the exclusion theory of anxiety, the social compensation model, and the reserve capacity model, the present study examined whether peer phubbing was positively related to social networking site addiction among undergraduates, whether social anxiety mediated the relationship, and whether this mediating process was moderated by family financial difficulty. Our theoretical model was tested using the data collected from 1,401 Chinese undergraduates (M_age = 18.83 years, standard deviation = 0.93). The participants completed anonymous questionnaires that assessed their peer phubbing, social anxiety, social networking site addiction, and family financial difficulty. The correlation analysis indicated that peer phubbing was positively associated with social networking site addiction. The testing for moderated mediation further revealed that social anxiety partially mediated the association between peer phubbing and social networking site addiction, with family financial difficulty moderating the first stage. To be specific, the indirect association between peer phubbing and social networking site addiction via social anxiety was stronger for undergraduates in high family financial difficulty. The results from this study extend research on the potential consequences of phubbing as well as highlight the significance of uncovering the underlying mechanisms.

Family socioeconomic status, subjective social status, and achievement motivation among Chinese college freshmen: A latent growth modeling approach

This study’s objective was to examine direct and indirect relationships among family socioeconomic status, subjective social status, and achievement motivation within the first 3 months after college freshmen enrollment in China. A longitudinal dataset was collected over a 3-month period at four measurement points with 4-week intervals. A cluster sample of 1,983 college freshmen from the eastern, central, and western economic regions of China was surveyed. Latent growth modeling was conducted. The results indicated that achievement motivation decreased over time and was positively related to a decline in subjective social status. Mediation analyses demonstrated that, after controlling for sex and economic region, family socioeconomic status predicted the initial level of achievement motivation directly and indirectly through the initial level of subjective social status, and notably, the directions of these effects were opposite. Further, family socioeconomic status also significantly predicted the rate of change in achievement motivation indirectly through the initial level of subjective social status. These results highlight the longitudinal relationship between family socioeconomic status and achievement motivation via different pathways and have implications for improving college freshmen’s achievement motivation.

Social Anxiety, Fear of Negative Evaluation, and Distress in a Virtual Reality Environment

According to cognitive theories of social anxiety, fear of negative evaluation (FNE) may be the mechanism whereby social anxiety induces distress. However, studying this can be challenging, as individuals with social anxiety may be reluctant to enter anxiety-provoking social situations, such as speaking in front of others. The present study used virtual reality (VR) to examine if giving a presentation in front of a virtual audience induced distress among undergraduate students and to test the hypothesis that FNE would mediate the relationship between social anxiety and distress. University students (N = 58, 70% female) entered a VR environment where they stood in front of a virtual audience and gave a short, impromptu presentation about their university. Participants also completed self-report measures of social anxiety, FNE, and distress (estimated before, during, and after VR). Distress and FNE had positive relationships with social anxiety and FNE fully mediated the relationship between social anxiety and distress. As far as we are aware, this is the first VR study to show this effect. The findings indicate that FNE could be a useful treatment target to reduce distress when presenting in front of an audience, either in VR or in person.

The connection and background mechanisms of social fears and problematic social networking site use: A structural equation modeling analysis

Previous research warned that internet and social media use could have a negative effect on the social lives of excessive users. Based on the social compensation hypothesis, however, factors related to social fears could lead to problematic social networking site (SNS) use because individuals try to compensate for their offline popularity. It was shown that individuals with higher levels of social fears tend to prefer computer-mediated (CMC) instead of face to face (FTF) communication. Here, we aimed to create a model that shows the direct and indirect effects of social anxiety and self-esteem on problematic SNS use. A total of 215 participants filled out our survey including measures of social anxiety, self-esteem, fear of negative evaluation, social media and Internet addiction. Using structural equation modeling we tested the indirect and direct effects between the variables. Our results indicated that social anxiety and lower self-esteem could lead to favoring CMC over FTF communication, which may result in problematic internet (PIU) and SNS use as a compensatory behavior to cope with fear of negative evaluation. The indirect pathways might highlight relevant differences behind the motivation of PIU - anonymity - and problematic SNS use - control. Theoretical as well as practical implications are discussed.

Impact of earthquake exposure, family adversity and peer problems on anxiety-related emotional disorders in adolescent survivors three years after the Ya'an earthquake

BACKGROUND

Traumatic experiences often give rise to an increased risk of anxiety problems in adolescents. This study investigated the anxiety prevalence in adolescent earthquake survivors and the effect of secondary stressors such as bullying, poverty, or being "left behind" by parents working in the cities.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted three years after the 2013 Ya'an (China) earthquake on 6,132 adolescents aged 9 to 18 years from 11 public schools in three severely earthquake affected counties. The participants completed self-report questionnaires that assessed anxiety, earthquake exposure, poverty level, left-behind duration and bullying.

RESULTS

Separation anxiety (38.7%) and panic symptoms (32.2%) were found to be the primary contributors to anxiety in this adolescent sample. The regression and structural equation modeling indicated that adolescents who had suffered from high earthquake exposure, peer bullying, being left-behind, or poverty were more likely to report problems in all anxiety subcategories, with females reporting more anxiety symptoms than males. The likelihood of all anxiety disorders except separation anxiety was found to increase with age.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlighted the need for post-disaster interventions aimed at minimizing post-earthquake adversity such as peer bullying and specialized psychological services that target subgroups that might be more susceptible to anxiety-related emotional problems. The results could be used to identify possible markers for anxiety problems in children who had not experienced any major traumas.

Effectiveness of a culturally adapted cognitive behavioural therapy-based guided self-help (CACBT-GSH) intervention to reduce social anxiety and enhance self-esteem in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial from Pakistan

BACKGROUND

Social anxiety is common among adolescents in Pakistan and is associated with low self-esteem. Among the recommended treatments, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective, and self-help approaches are encouraged.

AIM

To determine the effectiveness of culturally adapted CBT-based guided self-help (CACBT-GSH) intervention, using a manual 'Khushi aur Khatoon', for treating social anxiety when added to treatment as usual (TAU) compared with TAU only.

METHOD

A total of 76 adolescents with social anxiety aged 13-16 years from six schools in Multan, Pakistan were recruited into this randomized controlled trial. Participants were divided into intervention and control groups in a 1:1 ratio. Social anxiety, self-esteem and fear of negative evaluation were assessed through the Liebowtiz Social Anxiety Scale for children and adolescents, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation, respectively, at baseline and at the end of the study. Guided self-help using culturally adapted CBT (CACBT)-based self-help manual (eight sessions, one session per week) was provided to the intervention group. The effect of the CACBT-GSH intervention was analysed with ANCOVA.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference between the intervention and the control groups in favour of intervention. Participants in the intervention group showed reduced symptoms of social anxiety (p < .001), fear of negative evaluation (p < .001) and enhanced self-esteem (p < .001).

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrated the effectiveness of CACBT-based guided self-help intervention in treating social anxiety and addressing the symptoms associated with it.

The Relationship Between Adolescents' Stress and Internet Addiction: A Mediated-Moderation Model

This cross-sectional study explored the impact of stress, social anxiety, and social class on Internet addiction among adolescents. The subjects-1,634 middle school students-were investigated using the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) Chinese Short Form, the Chinese Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS), and the Questionnaire of Family Social-economic Status. The results show that 12% of the adolescents investigated showed signs of Internet addiction. With the increase of grade, the tendency of Internet addiction and the number of addicts gradually increased. It also showed that Internet addiction is positively correlated with stress and social anxiety and negatively correlated with social class. Social anxiety partially mediates the impact of stress on Internet addiction and social class indirectly influences Internet addiction by moderating the relationship between stress and social anxiety. In conclusion, there is a mediated-moderation effect between stress and adolescent Internet addiction This means that adolescents from different social classes have different types of anxiety when they feel the stress, which influences their choices concerning internet use.

Oneself is more important: Exploring the role of narcissism and fear of negative evaluation in the relationship between subjective social class and dishonesty

Previous studies have found that high social class individuals are more dishonest than low social class ones. However, the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon is still unclear. The “ignoring negative consequences” hypothesis suggests that belonging to a high social class makes individuals ignore the negative consequences of dishonesty, whereas the “self-focused” hypothesis suggests that belonging to a high social class makes individuals focus more on the self and self-interests. The present study aims to examine these two hypotheses by measuring participants’ subjective social class, narcissism, fear of negative evaluation, and tendency to be dishonest. To this end, an online survey was conducted. Results provide evidence for the self-focused hypothesis by showing that subjective social class positively predicts the tendency to be dishonest, and narcissism plays a mediating role in this relationship.

Increased psychiatric symptoms in university students with autism spectrum disorder are associated with reduced adaptive behavior

High variability in adaptive behavior in cognitively-able adults with autism spectrum disorder has been previously reported, and may be caused by the high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity in this population. This study's goals were to examine self-reported psychiatric symptoms in students with ASD, and to identify their relative contribution to the variance in adaptive behaviors. The study population included 95 students: 55 diagnosed with ASD (4 females; age range 18-34) who participated in a university integration program (ASD group), and 40 regularly matriculated students (non-ASD group, 7 females; age range 20-36). The ASD group showed a lower adaptive skill level than the non-ASD group as measured by the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (GAC-ABAS). Significantly higher scores for the ASD group were found for social anxiety, trait anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and depression symptoms. The level of adaptive skills correlated negatively and significantly with the severity of social anxiety symptoms in both groups and with severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms only in the ASD group. Additionally, in a regression model, significant contributions of having an ASD diagnosis and severity of social anxiety explained 41.7% of the variance in adaptive skills. Adequate evaluation and treatment, if needed, are recommended in this population.

How does self-esteem affect mobile phone addiction? The mediating role of social anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity

Low self-esteem is an important factor influencing mobile phone addiction, which has been well documented. However, little research focused on the mechanism underlying the association between self-esteem and mobile phone addiction. We hypothesized that social anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity may mediate the relationship between self-esteem and mobile phone addiction. Six hundred and fifty three (353 girls among them) college students with the mean age of 19.94 (SD = 1.34) were recruited for the study. Participants completed mobile phone addiction scale, Rosenberg self-esteem scale, the social anxiety questionnaire and interpersonal sensitivity subscale of SCL-90. The findings were as follows: 1) interpersonal sensitivity mediated the relation between self-esteem and mobile phone addiction. 2) social anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity sequentially mediated the relation between self-esteem and mobile phone addiction. The result reveals that self-esteem has indirect effect on mobile phone addiction, which is mediated by social anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity.

The relationship between psychological Suzhi and social anxiety among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of self-esteem and sense of security

BACKGROUND

High incidence and morbidity rates are found among adolescents with social anxiety disorder, a severe and harmful form of social phobia. Extensive research has been conducted to uncover the underlying psychological factors associated with the development and continuation of this disorder. Previous research has focused on single individual difference variables such as personality, cognition, or emotion; thus, the effect of an individual's full psychological profile on social anxiety has rarely been studied. Psychological suzhi is a comprehensive psychological quality that has been promoted in Chinese quality-oriented education. This research aimed to explore how psychological suzhi affects Chinese adolescents' social anxiety.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey study was carried out among 1459 middle school students (683 boys and 776 girls) from various middle schools in seven provinces of China. Psychological suzhi, self-esteem, sense of security, and social anxiety were measured via four self-reported questionnaires: the Brief Psychological Suzhi Questionnaire for middle school students, the Chinese version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Security Questionnaire, and the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale.

RESULTS

Analyses showed that psychological suzhi is positively related to self-esteem and sense of security, and it is negatively correlated with social anxiety. The results also revealed that self-esteem partially mediates the relationship between adolescents' psychological suzhi and social anxiety, with self-esteem and sense of security serving as chain mediators in the relationship between psychological suzhi and social anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight that psychological suzhi is a protective factor against social anxiety. It can directly protect adolescents from social anxiety, and it also can protect them through affecting their self-esteem and sense of security. These results are discussed from the viewpoints of school leaders, psychology teachers, and school counsellors, who provide support to students to improve their social functioning within the school context. The findings of this study may provide new perspectives regarding the prevention and treatment of social anxiety.

The Characteristics of Chinese Adolescents With Suicidal Ideation: A Mixed-Methods Approach

We conducted a mixed-methods study to explore the characteristics of Chinese adolescents with suicidal ideation, using both quantitative and qualitative data and analysis. Participants were N = 244 adolescents, who completed self-report assessments of suicidal ideation, as well as indices of psychological functioning and well-being. A subset of n = 6 high and n = 6 low suicidal ideation adolescents participated in the follow-up interviews. Among the quantitative results, as compared with adolescents with low suicidal ideation, adolescents with high suicidal ideation reported significantly higher scores for stressful life events, coping-avoidant strategies, loneliness, and depression, as well as significantly lower scores for coping-approach strategies. Among the qualitative results, adolescents with high suicidal ideation demonstrated the following characteristics: (a) most troubled by academic pressures and relations, (b) negative self-evaluations, (c) maladaptive understanding of life and death, (d) individual-oriented attributions, and (e) negative coping strategies and self-fulfilling prophesy. These findings contribute to the early identification of adolescents who are at higher risk for suicide, further expand the stress and coping model with the distress-to-meaninglessness framework, and suggest that improving positive self-evaluation may be a focus of prevention and intervention.

Anxiety Disorders are Associated with Low Socioeconomic Status in Women but Not in Men

OBJECTIVES

We investigated to what extent the lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders relates to negative economic changes, taking important lifestyle factors and unexpected life events into consideration.

METHODS

We included 3,695 participants recruited in the city of Lausanne (Switzerland), from the population-based CoLaus/PsyCoLaus study. The association between anxiety disorders, lifestyle factors, and life events related to income was investigated using binary logistic regression analyses correcting for demographic and clinical confounders.

RESULTS

Compared with men, women with anxiety disorders showed a significantly lower socioeconomic status (Mann-Whitney U = 56,318; p < .001) and reported a higher negative impact of substantial reduction of income (Mann-Whitney U = 68,531; p = .024). When performing adjusted analyses, low socioeconomic status (odd ratio, 0.87; p = .001) and negative impact of reduction of income (odd ratio, 1.01; p = .004) were associated significantly with anxiety disorders in women but not in men.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that anxiety disorders aggravate already existing gender differences in economic conditions, and that women with anxiety need additional support to attain socioeconomic security similar to that of men.