Mitigating adolescent social anxiety symptoms: the effects of social support and social self-efficacy in findings from the Young-HUNT 3 study

Abstract

Adolescents' exposure to negative life events (NLEs) and potentially traumatic events is highly prevalent and increases their risk of developing psychological disorders considerably. NLE exposure has also been linked to the development of social anxiety disorder (SAD) among older children and young adolescents. Despite the relatively low treatment efficacy reported for children and adolescents suffering from SAD, few studies have addressed the extent to which resilience factors, such as social support and social self-efficacy, are associated with SAD symptoms. This study examined whether social support and social self-efficacy predict, and buffer against SAD symptoms using a large, population-based sample of adolescents, among whom a large proportion have experienced NLEs. The results reveal that NLEs are significantly associated with SAD symptoms, while social support and social self-efficacy are both negatively associated with SAD symptoms. Only the NLEs × social support interaction significantly predicted SAD symptoms, with social support attenuating the association between NLEs and SAD symptoms. Moreover, increases in both social self-efficacy and social support were associated with reduced SAD symptoms, over and above variance explained by social support alone. Our cumulative results suggest that interventions that can modify both social support and social self-efficacy may help reduce SAD symptoms in at-risk adolescents.

The mediating effect of social functioning on the relationship between social support and fatigue in middle-aged and young recipients with liver transplant in China

“…On the one hand, good social support helps patients establish positive self-management and compliance behaviors ( Zhang et al, 2022a ), promotes active cooperation with treatment, and reduces the occurrence of fatigue symptoms. On the other hand, more social support means more available coping resources such as financial support and emotional support, which can enhance patients’ self-confidence and self-efficacy ( Aune et al, 2021 ; Banik et al, 2021 ), thereby aiding patients in actively dealing with the symptoms of the disease and proactively seeking and obtaining ways to alleviate fatigue symptoms. In addition, good social support has been shown to improve sleep quality in LT recipients ( Xu et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2022b ), thereby reducing symptoms of fatigue ( Lin et al, 2017 ).…”

Improving Treatment Outcomes for Adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder Through a Socioecological Approach

“…Findings from a recent study suggest that actual social support is relevant for the level of social anxiety symptoms in adolescents, indicating that interventions that increase social support may help reduce social anxiety in adolescents (75). Furthermore, building on Bordin´s (76) pioneering conceptualization of the therapeutic alliance as a relational bond between patient and therapist and agreement on the task and goals for therapy, Friedlander et al (2006) stressed the importance of how other individuals, beyond the therapeutic relation, affects the process and outcome for psychotherapy.…”

Improving treatment outcomes for adolescents with borderline personality disorder through a socioecological approach

“…Findings from a recent study suggest that actual social support is relevant for the level of social anxiety symptoms in adolescents, indicating that interventions that increase social support may help reduce social anxiety in adolescents [ 75 ]. Furthermore, building on Bordin´s [ 76 ] pioneering conceptualization of the therapeutic alliance as a relational bond between patient and therapist and agreement on the task and goals for therapy, Friedlander et al (2006) stressed the importance of how other individuals, beyond the therapeutic relation, affects the process and outcome for psychotherapy.…”