Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, Australia.
Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, Australia.
Behav Res Ther. 2022 Jul;154:104126. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104126. Epub 2022 May 20.
The aims of this study were to determine the impact of adolescent-relevant risk factors on changes in social anxiety symptoms from pre-to early-adolescence.
From 2016 to 2018, 528 youth (51% boys) were tested in three annual waves across grades 6, 7, and 8 (M ages 11.2, 12.7, 13.7 years). Through online surveys youth reported on peer relationships that were combined into two latent factors: 1) appearance comparisons, comprising youth reports of appearance comparisons relative to others in general and while using social media, along with perceived attractiveness; and 2) positive peer connections, comprising youth reports of group affiliation, school belonging, and peer victimisation. Youth and their parents also reported on the youth's level of pubertal development as well as the youth's level of social anxiety using previously validated questionnaires. Social anxiety was also assessed with structured diagnostic interview.
Separate cross-lagged panel models were used to model longitudinal associations between all risk factors and youth, parent, and interviewer-reported measures of social anxiety. Of the associations tested, only appearance comparisons directly predicted increases in social anxiety symptoms 12 months later across all models. More advanced pubertal development was associated with increased appearance comparisons the following year. On the other hand, higher levels of social anxiety predicted subsequent reductions in positive peer connections in parent and interviewer models.
These results highlight the important and interconnected impact of pubertal development and appearance comparisons on both the development of social anxiety symptoms during early adolescence, as well as the social consequences of social anxiety.
本研究旨在确定青少年相关风险因素对从青春期前到青春期早期社交焦虑症状变化的影响。
2016 年至 2018 年，528 名青少年（51%为男生）在六年级、七年级和八年级的三个年度波次中进行了测试（平均年龄为 11.2、12.7 和 13.7 岁）。通过在线调查，青少年报告了他们的同伴关系，这些关系被综合成两个潜在因素：1）外貌比较，包括青少年相对于他人的一般外貌比较以及在使用社交媒体时的外貌比较，以及感知到的吸引力；2）积极的同伴联系，包括青少年的群体归属、学校归属感和同伴受害报告。青少年及其父母还报告了青少年的青春期发育水平以及青少年的社交焦虑水平，使用了先前验证过的问卷。使用结构化诊断访谈也评估了社交焦虑。
使用交叉滞后面板模型分别对所有风险因素与青少年、父母和访谈者报告的社交焦虑测量值之间的纵向关联进行建模。在所测试的关联中，只有外貌比较直接预测了所有模型中 12 个月后社交焦虑症状的增加。更高级的青春期发育与下一年更高的外貌比较相关。另一方面，较高的社交焦虑水平预测了父母和访谈者模型中随后积极同伴关系的减少。
这些结果强调了青春期发育和外貌比较对青少年早期社交焦虑症状发展以及社交焦虑的社会后果的重要且相互关联的影响。
