Abstract
BackgroundDuring adolescence, peer relationships take precedence and there is a normative increase in social anxiety. Although prospective studies have suggested peer functioning and social anxiety can influence each other, their findings have not been examined systematically. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies to examine the bidirectional relationship between peer functioning and social anxiety in adolescence. MethodsEMBASE, PsycINFO, Medline, and PubMed were searched to identify relevant articles. Meta-analysis was conducted to examine the mean effect sizes of prospective associations between social anxiety and four dimensions of peer functioning. Moderator analysis was performed, with age, gender, time interval between baseline and follow-up assessment, and publication year as moderators. ResultsMeta-analyses of 23 studies showed that friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r =-.06), and peer victimization (r =.23) were each associated with later social anxiety, but peer acceptance was not (r =-.11). Social anxiety at baseline was associated with prospective levels of friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r=.09), and peer victimization (r =.17), but not peer acceptance (r =-.14). Age moderated the association between friendship quality and prospective social anxiety. Other moderator effects were statistically non-significant. LimitationsLimitations include different classifications of peer functioning, the use of self-report measures, heterogeneity between studies, and underrepresentation of clinical samples. ConclusionsA significant bidirectional association was found with social anxiety across three dimensions of peer functioning. Psychological prevention and intervention targeting peer functioning and social anxiety are indicated.
Highlights
Adolescence is a time when there is a normative increase in social anxiety symptoms (Westenberg et al, 2007) and when Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) typically first occurs (Kessler et al, 2005)
T2 peer acceptance, meta-analysis showed a non-significant mean effect size for the association between T1 social anxiety and T2 peer accep tance, r = -.14, p = .13, 95% CI [-0.32, 0.05]. These results indicated that higher levels of social anxiety at baseline were not associated with lower levels of peer acceptance at follow-up (See Figure 9)
Metaanalyses of 23 studies showed that friendship quality, peer rejection, and peer victimization were each prospectively associated with social anxi ety, and social anxiety was associated with later peer functioning in these domains
Summary
Adolescence is a time when there is a normative increase in social anxiety symptoms (Westenberg et al, 2007) and when Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) typically first occurs (Kessler et al, 2005). Important aspects of peer functioning include: friendship quality, peer acceptance, peer rejection, and peer victimization (Prinstein & Giletta, 2020) These four aspects of peer functioning have been assessed with different measures, but each of them has been found to be associ ated with important psychosocial outcomes. We performed a systematic review and metaanalysis of prospective studies to examine the bidirectional relationship between peer functioning and social anxiety in adolescence. Meta-analysis was conducted to examine the mean effect sizes of prospective associations between social anxiety and four dimensions of peer functioning. Results: Meta-analyses of 23 studies showed that friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r =-.06), and peer victimization (r =.23) were each associated with later social anxiety, but peer acceptance was not (r =-.11). Social anxiety at baseline was associated with prospective levels of friendship quality (r =-.11), peer rejection (r=.09), and peer victimization (r =.17), but not peer acceptance (r =-.14). Psychological prevention and intervention targeting peer functioning and social anxiety are indicated
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