Multiple Mediation of Loneliness and Negative Emotions in the Relationship between Adolescents’ Social Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

Título: Mediación múltiple de la soledad y las afecta negativas en la relación entre la ansiedad social de los adolescentes y los síntomas depresivos. Resumen: La presente investigación tiene como objetivo investigar la mediación múltiple de la soledad y de los afectos negativos en la relación entre la ansiedad social y los síntomas depresivos de los adolescentes. Los participantes del estudio, seleccionados mediante muestreo por conveniencia, fueron un total de 263 estudiantes, incluyendo a 155 mujeres (59%) y 108 hombres (41%), que asistían a varias centros de educación secundaria en una ciudad de la región del Mar Negro. La edad de alumnos participantes osciló entre 14 y 18 años, con una edad promedio de 15.05 (SD = 0.90). Los datos para este estudio fueron recolectados de la Escala de Ansiedad Social para Adolescentes, Escala de Soledad (Abreviado) UCLA, Registro de afecto positivo y negativo para Adolescentes, Escala de Depresión para Niños y formulario de información personal. Los datos se analizaron mediante estadística descriptiva, coeficiente de correlación de Pearson, y un enfoque basado en regresión de mínimos cuadrados ordinarios, y el método de Bootstrap. Los hallazgos del estudio indican que la soledad y los afectos negativos, tanto por separado como en conjunto, median en la relación entre la ansiedad social y síntomas depresivos. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la comparación llevada a cabo para encontrar variables mediadoras más potentes en términos de efecto de la mediación. Además, se encontró que el modelo globalmente fue significativo y explicó el 44% de la varianza total en los síntomas depresivos. Se incluye una discusión sobre la interpretación de los resultados obtenidos en el presente estudio junto con sugerencias para los profesionales pertinentes. Palabras clave: Ansiedad social; síntomas depresivos; soledad; afectos negativos; mediación múltiple; adolescentes. Abstract:The current research aims to investigate the multiple mediation of loneliness and negative affects in the relationship between adolescents' social anxiety and depressive symptoms. Study participants, selected through convenience sampling, consisted of a total of 263 students, including 155 females (59%) and 108 males (41%), attending various high schools in a city in the mid Black Sea Region. Participant students' ages ranged between 14 and 18, with an average age of 15.05 (SD=.90). Data for the current study were collected through the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, UCLA Loneliness Scale -Short Form, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Adolescents, Depression Scale for Children, and Personal Information Form. Current research data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and an approach based on Ordinary Least Squares Regression, and the Bootstrap Method. The current study findings indicated that loneliness and negative affects, both separately and together, mediated the relationship between social anxiety and depressive symptoms. No significant differe...

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