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Cited by 36Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentPsychological Treatments and Assessments

Cognitive predictors of adolescent social anxiety

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Chiu, Kenny, Clark, David M., Leigh, Eleanor·2021·Behaviour Research and Therapy
DOI 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103801PMC PMC7846721
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Identifying psychological processes that maintain social anxiety holds promise for improving treatment outcomes for young people. Experimental and prospective studies in adults suggest negative social cognitions, safety behaviours, self-focused attention, and pre- and post-event processing are all implicated in the maintenance of social anxiety. Despite social anxiety typically starting in adolescence, prospective studies examining these cognitive processes in youth are lacking. The current study examined prospective associations between these five cognitive processes and social anxiety in a sample of 614 participants (53% girls; aged 11-14 years). METHODS: Psychological processes, social anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms were assessed using self-report questionnaires at two time points. RESULTS: Negative social cognitions, safety behaviours, self-focused attention, and post-event processing predicted prospective levels of social anxiety over and above the effect of baseline levels of social anxiety. When these process variables were entered together in a regression model, three of them were independently associated with prospective social anxiety. Neither pre- nor post-event processing independently predicted later social anxiety over and above the effects of other psychological process variables. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that these psychological processes are promising targets for treatment in adolescent social anxiety.

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  • Individuals with SAD are highly prone to having or developing additional disorders.

    “Comorbidities play a significant role in the treatment of SAD, as individuals with SAD are highly prone to having or developing additional disorders [21,22].”

    From The risks versus the benefits of pharmacological intervention in social anxiety disorder in children (2025) · cites this paper as [21]

    The paper’s introduction, included in the passage labelled Abstract > Conclusions (page not provided), describes SAD as a predictor of later depression and suicidality. That supports the possibility of developing depression, but it does not establish that people with SAD are highly prone to having or developing additional disorders generally. The Discussion addresses predictors of social anxiety, not comorbidity. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Chiu, K., Clark, D. M., & Leigh, E.
Affiliations
  • King's College London (GB)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
Leigh, Eleanor
ORCID
Venue
Behaviour Research and Therapy
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-02
Volume
137
Pages
103801
ISSN
0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.brat.2020.103801
PMC
PMC7846721
OpenAlex
W3114575630
Cited by
36
References
12
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 1
FWCI
4.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health Research (NF?SI-0512-10132, SI-0512-10132)
  • Wellcome Trust (102176/Z/13/Z, WT069777)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
Keywords
adolescent social anxiety, safety behavior, self-focus, post-event processing, depressive symptoms, treatment goals, cognitive processes
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety, Attention, Cognition, Fear, Female, Humans, Male, Prospective Studies

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