Psychosocial Predictors of Social Anxiety in Children

Abstract

Social Anxiety (SA) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in childhood that negatively impacts well-being and fosters cumulative disadvantages throughout life. The aim of this study was to predict SA for the first time in Mexico using these explanatory factors: assertiveness, specific phobia, separation anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, self-concept, depression, and coping skills. 649 children aged 6-13 years old (M=8.87, SD=1.889) were randomly selected from public elementary schools in Mexico City. The main results obtained with multiple regression analyses showed that specific phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, indirect assertiveness, and separation anxiety disorder significantly predicted SA in both genders. Concerning boys, assertiveness was also a relevant explanatory variable. Regarding girls, actual self-concept was also a significant predictor. The regression model explained 56.3% of the variance for boys, and 43.5% of the variance for girls. The findings of our study -comorbidity of SA with anxiety disordersunderline the importance of early intervention strategies to prevent the development of other disorders. Also, since assertiveness was a significant predictor, assertiveness training should be promoted in schools, with parents, and included in intervention programs in order for them to be efficient and sustainable, and to prevent and diminish social anxiety. © 2020 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/). Predictores psicosociales de la ansiedad social en niños Resumen La ansiedad social (AS) constituye uno de los desórdenes psiquiátricos más prevalentes en la infancia que afecta negativamente el bienestar y acumula desventajas a lo largo de la vida. El objetivo de este estudio fue predecir AS por primera vez en México usando los siguientes predictores: asertividad, fobia específica, trastorno obsesivo compulsivo, trastorno de ansiedad por separación, autoconcepto, afrontamiento y depresión. Se seleccionaron aleatoriamente a 649 menores de entre 6-13 años de edad (M=8.87, DT=1.889) de escuelas primarias públicas de la Ciudad de México. Los principales resultados obtenidos mediante un análisis de regresión múltiple mostraron que la fobia específica, el trastorno obsesivo compulsivo, la aserPsychosocial Predictors of Social Anxiety in Children Susana Castaños-Cervantes*, Nicole Vélez-Agostob a Health Department, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico City, Mexico b Department of Psychology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico Received 6 October 2019; accepted 23 April 2020