“It's not just about being judged”: Interpersonal distrust uniquely contributes to social anxiety

Abstract

Fears of evaluation are central to defining social anxiety disorder (SAD); notwithstanding, evidence suggests that interpersonal distrust and perceived ineffectiveness are distinct constructs, prevalent among individuals with SAD. To date, no studies have assessed the independent contributions of interpersonal distrust and perceived ineffectiveness to SAD severity beyond fears of evaluation. In total 151 community-dwelling adults (80% women) with anxiety histories completed questionnaires as part of a larger study. Hierarchal regression analyses indicated that interpersonal distrust, but not perceived ineffectiveness, contributed significant amounts of variance to SAD severity after partitioning out variance from depressive symptoms and fear of negative and positive evaluation. Concertedly, findings suggest that although fears of evaluation are seminal to SAD severity, distrust of others may also uniquely exacerbate symptoms of social anxiety. Clinical and research implications are discussed herein.