The longitudinal link between popularity, likeability, fear of negative evaluation and social avoidance across adolescence

The relationship between parental phubbing and social anxiety in emerging adulthood students: a serial mediation model

BACKGROUND

Emerging adulthood is a critical period for the establishment of personal intimacy, and emerging adulthood students are vulnerable groups with social anxiety. Some studies have explored the mechanism of social anxiety. However, most of these studies are limited to analysis from a single individual or family dimension perspective, without considering its mechanism from a comprehensive perspective. Based on the cognitive behavioral framework of social anxiety, this study investigated the influence of parental phubbing on social anxiety in emerging adulthood students, and the mediating role of shyness and fear of negative evaluation.

METHOD

This study surveyed 5173 emerging adulthood students from two colleges in China to explore the mediating effect of shyness and fear of negative evaluation between parental phubbing and social anxiety. Correlations between variables were analysed using Pearson correlation analysis, and mediation analyses were performed using Hayes' PROCESS macro software (model 6).

RESULT

(1) The results of the correlation analysis showed that parental phubbing was significantly positively correlated with shyness, fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety. (2) After controlling for sociodemographic variables, parental phubbing can not only indirectly aggravate social anxiety through the separate mediation of shyness and fear of negative evaluation, but also through the serial mediation of shyness and fear of negative evaluation. Specifically, these mediating effects account for 27.12%, 8.40%, and 10.30% of the total effect.

CONCLUSION

Parental phubbing positively and directly affects the social anxiety of emerging adulthood students, and a higher level of shyness and fear of negative evaluation further aggravate social anxiety. These findings provide not only empirical support for the cognitive behavioral framework of social anxiety, but also have practical implications for the intervention of social anxiety in emerging adulthood students.

Is prior bullying victimization associated with subsequent bullying perpetration? A theoretical framework based on the Threat-Motivation model

INTRODUCTION

Bullying among adolescents is a global public health issue prevalent in schools, posing significant risks to positive adolescent development. Studies have shown that bullied adolescents tend to engage in more bullying perpetration, but this underlying process of longitudinal correlation has not been fully elucidated.

METHODS

Based on two waves of longitudinal data collected from 347 junior and 144 senior high school students in China (Mage = 13.66 years, SDage = 1.46, 59.27% boys) at 1-year intervals, two moderated chain-mediation models were used to explore the longitudinal correlations between bullying victimization and bullying perpetration and its underlying processes.

RESULTS

The results found a significant positive correlation between adolescents' bullying victimization experiences 1 year prior and bullying perpetration 1 year later. Furthermore, fear of negative evaluation and psychache played a longitudinal chain-mediating role in the process, with self-esteem and grade moderating this mediating pathway, either enhancing or weakening the effect.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that prior bullying victimization is longitudinally and positively associated with subsequent bullying perpetration among adolescents. This process is mediated by fear of negative evaluation and psychache, with self-esteem and grade level as moderators. Based on these conclusions, we have formulated the Threat-Motivation Model, offering a framework to understand the relationship between bullying victimization and bullying perpetration. Practical implications, including strategies to reduce bullying in youth groups, are discussed.

The Relation Between Social Anxiety and Perceptions of Likeability and Friendship in Adolescents

Background

This study investigated how different social anxiety symptoms (i.e., worrying about negative evaluation versus avoidance tendencies) in adolescents are related to the perception accuracy of likeability by peers and friendships with peers.

Method

A community sample of 263 adolescents between 12 and 15 years old reported on their social anxiety symptoms. In addition, they estimated how much their peers liked them, indicated how much they liked their peers, and who their friends were in their classroom.

Results

Results showed that socially anxious adolescents who mainly worried about negative evaluations, underestimated their likeability by peers. Adolescents with strong social avoidance tendencies had a more accurate perception of their likeability and friendships; they were less liked by their peers and had fewer friends.

Conclusion

The results emphasize the importance of treating avoidance behavior in social anxiety since avoidance tendencies may not only maintain the social anxiety symptoms but are also related to a more negative judgment by others.

Exploring the Nexus between Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity, Self-Disclosure, Social Anxiety, and Adolescent Social Avoidance: Insights from a Cross-Sectional Study in Central China

Objectives: Psychological issues among adolescents represent a prevalent challenge in today's society. The purpose of this study is to explore the associations among moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, self-disclosure, social anxiety, and social avoidance in adolescents. Methods: This study collected cross-sectional data from 427 students in eight provincial key junior and senior high schools in the central China region of three provinces using snowball sampling and convenience sampling from July to August 2023. A structural equation model was employed to investigate the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and social avoidance among adolescents. Results: The findings indicate that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is negatively correlated with social anxiety (standardized coefficient = -0.219, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with self-disclosure (standardized coefficient = 0.454, p < 0.001). Social anxiety is negatively correlated with self-disclosure (standardized coefficient = -0.220, p < 0.001). Social avoidance is positively correlated with social anxiety (standardized coefficient = 0.461, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with self-disclosure (standardized coefficient = -0.331, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The chain-mediated dual-path model between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and social avoidance is facilitated by social anxiety and self-disclosure. In other words, adolescents who engage in more moderate to high-intensity physical activities exhibit lower levels of social anxiety, and those who have a stronger inclination for self-disclosure tend to demonstrate lower levels of social avoidance. In light of these findings, it is recommended that the government, society, schools, and families collaborate synergistically to promote the holistic well-being of adolescents and advance the development of a healthier China.

The Perils of Not Being Attractive or Athletic: Pathways to Adolescent Adjustment Difficulties Through Escalating Unpopularity

Adolescents who lack traits valued by peers are at risk for adjustment difficulties but the mechanisms responsible for deteriorating well-being have yet to be identified. The present study examines processes whereby low athleticism and low attractiveness give rise to adolescent adjustment difficulties. Participants were public middle school students (ages 10 to 13 years, Mage = 11.54, SDage = 1.00) in the USA and Lithuania (300 girls, 280 boys; 52.7% girls). Self-reports of alcohol misuse and loneliness were collected three times during an academic year (M = 12.3 week intervals). Athleticism, attractiveness, unpopularity, and peer rejection were assessed through peer nominations. Full longitudinal mediation analyses examined direct and indirect pathways from stigmatized traits (i.e., low athleticism, low attractiveness) to adjustment difficulties (i.e., alcohol misuse, loneliness) through two indices of low peer status: unpopularity and rejection. The results indicated that the possession of stigmatized traits predicted escalating unpopularity, which, in turn, predicted increasing adjustment difficulties. Similar indirect associations did not emerge with rejection as a mediator, underscoring the unique role of power and prominence (and the lack thereof) in socioemotional development. The findings underscore the adjustment risks and interpersonal challenges that confront children and adolescents who lack traits valued by peers.