Utrecht University, Psychosocial Development in Context, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2011 Jul;52(7):774-81. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02325.x. Epub 2010 Oct 6.
Socially anxious children tend to attach great importance to others' evaluations of them. However, the extent to which they base their momentary feelings of self-worth (i.e., state self-esteem) on social (dis)approval is unclear. It is also unclear whether this exceedingly approval-based self-esteem is a common correlate of social anxiety and depression, or specifically linked to one or the other.
Changes in children's state self-esteem were obtained in response to a manipulated peer evaluation outcome. Participants (N = 188) aged 10 to 13 took part in a rigged online computer contest and were randomized to receive positive or negative peer feedback. Self-reported state self-esteem was assessed via computer at baseline and immediately post-feedback. The predictive effects of self-reported social anxiety and depression symptoms on changes in state self-esteem were investigated.
Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that children with higher social anxiety, as indexed by the fear of negative evaluation component, experienced significantly stronger increases in state self-esteem following peer approval (β = .26, p < .05), and significantly stronger decreases in state self-esteem following peer disapproval (β = -.23, p < .05). In both conditions depressive symptoms did not predict changes in state self-esteem (ps > .20).
Socially anxious children's state self-esteem is strongly contingent on social approval. Because basing one's self-esteem on external validation has multiple negative consequences, these findings highlight the importance of teaching these children skills (e.g., making cognitive reappraisals) to weaken the linkage between other- and self-evaluations.
社交焦虑的儿童往往非常重视他人对他们的评价。然而，他们将瞬间的自我价值感（即状态自尊）建立在社会（不）认可的程度尚不清楚。也不清楚这种极其基于认可的自尊是否是社交焦虑和抑郁的常见相关因素，或者与其中一种或另一种具体相关。
通过操纵同伴评价结果获得儿童状态自尊的变化。参与者（N = 188）年龄在 10 至 13 岁之间，参加了一个人为设计的在线计算机竞赛，并随机接受正面或负面的同伴反馈。通过计算机在基线和反馈后立即评估自我报告的状态自尊。研究了自我报告的社交焦虑和抑郁症状对状态自尊变化的预测作用。
层次多重回归分析显示，自我报告的社交焦虑程度较高（以负面评价恐惧指标衡量）的儿童在获得同伴认可后，状态自尊明显增强（β =.26，p <.05），在获得同伴不认可后，状态自尊明显下降（β = -.23，p <.05）。在这两种情况下，抑郁症状都不能预测状态自尊的变化（p >.20）。
社交焦虑儿童的状态自尊强烈依赖于社会认可。因为将自尊建立在外部验证上有多个负面影响，这些发现强调了教导这些孩子技能（例如，进行认知再评价）的重要性，以削弱他人评价和自我评价之间的联系。
