Cited by 155Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentBullying, Victimization, and AggressionAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Prospective associations between peer functioning and social anxiety in adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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Chiu, Kenny, Clark, David M., Leigh, Eleanor·2021·Journal of Affective Disorders

Abstract

BACKGROUND: During adolescence, peer relationships take precedence and there is a normative increase in social anxiety. Although prospective studies have suggested peer functioning and social anxiety can influence each other, their findings have not been examined systematically. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies to examine the bidirectional relationship between peer functioning and social anxiety in adolescence. METHODS: EMBASE, PsycINFO, Medline, and PubMed were searched to identify relevant articles. Meta-analysis was conducted to examine the mean effect sizes of prospective associations between social anxiety and four dimensions of peer functioning. Moderator analysis was performed, with age, gender, time interval between baseline and follow-up assessment, and publication year as moderators. RESULTS: Meta-analyses of 23 studies showed that friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r =-.06), and peer victimization (r =.23) were each associated with later social anxiety, but peer acceptance was not (r =-.11). Social anxiety at baseline was associated with prospective levels of friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r=.09), and peer victimization (r =.17), but not peer acceptance (r =-.14). Age moderated the association between friendship quality and prospective social anxiety. Other moderator effects were statistically non-significant. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include different classifications of peer functioning, the use of self-report measures, heterogeneity between studies, and underrepresentation of clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS: A significant bidirectional association was found with social anxiety across three dimensions of peer functioning. Psychological prevention and intervention targeting peer functioning and social anxiety are indicated.

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  • SAD causes significant and persistent impairments in various life domains.

    “causing significant and persistent impairments in various life domains (e.g., Acquah et al., 2015; Chiu et al., 2021; Hebert et al., 2012; Soohinda & Sampath, 2016).”

    From Psychological inflexibility explains social anxiety over time: a mediation analyses with a clinical adolescent sample (2024) · cites this paper as Chiu et al., 2021

    The Introduction (page unavailable) reports that adolescents with SAD tend to experience more peer victimization, lower peer acceptance, and greater loneliness. The Discussion’s Summary of findings (page unavailable) also links social anxiety to later difficulties in peer relationships. These passages support impairment in peer functioning, but not the broader claim that SAD causes significant, persistent impairments across various life domains; the paper describes associations rather than establishing causation. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Black J.J. Chung T. Clark D.B. Anxiety disorders and substance use disorders Youth Substance Abuse and Co-occurring Disorders. (pp. 169–195) 2016 American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&PAGE=reference&D=psyc13a&NEWS=N&AN=2015-55276-008
  2. Cohen J. Statistical power for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.) 1988 Laurence Erlbaum and Associates
  3. Richman J.M. Bowen G.L. School failure: an eco-interactional-developmental perspective Fraser M.W. Risk and Resilience in Childhood: An Ecological Perspective (pp. 133–160) Ed. 2004 NAWS Press

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Authors
Chiu, K., Clark, D. M., & Leigh, E.
Affiliations
  • King's College London (GB)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
Leigh, Eleanor
Venue
Journal of Affective Disorders
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-01
Volume
279
Pages
650-661
ISSN
0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3095027428
Cited by
155
References
97
Citations by year
2026: 40 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 8
FWCI
1.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • King's College London
  • Wellcome Trust (102176/Z/13/Z, WT069777)
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (NF-SI-0512-10132)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
social anxiety, peer functioning, adolescents, friendship quality, peer rejection, peer victimization, peer acceptance, bidirectional relationship, prospective associations, age moderation
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Anxiety, Humans, Peer Group, Prospective Studies, Crime Victims, Bullying

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