Social support, emotion regulation and mindfulness: A linkage towards social anxiety among adolescents attending secondary schools in Birgunj, Nepal.

Rakesh Singh,Sharika Mahato,Babita Singh,Victoria K Hambour,Dusana Dorjee

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0230991

Abstract

There has been a growing burden of anxiety among Nepalese adolescents. Social anxiety in particular is one of the commonly reported symptoms indicating mental health problem among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to assess social anxiety, and identify how social support, emotion regulation and mindfulness uniquely contribute to social anxiety among adolescents in Birgunj, Nepal. The study was conducted by using a self-administered questionnaire among 384 adolescents (65.4% boys; M = 16.05 years, SD = 1.39) studying at secondary schools of Birgunj. Results show that there was a positive correlation between social anxiety symptoms and age, and girls reported more symptoms. Traits such as non-acceptance of emotions, lack of clarity and lack of awareness of emotions were related to increased social anxiety; while acting with awareness, non-reactivity, and better ability to describe emotions was related to decreased social anxiety. Finally, more social support from close friends was related to lower social anxiety. These results suggest that improving emotion regulation, dispositional mindfulness, and social support may be helpful for adolescents who are at risk of, or are suffering from, social anxiety.

Highlights

Mental health is an important contributor to better quality of life, and low anxiety is a key indicator of mental health
More social support from close friends was related to lower social anxiety. These results suggest that improving emotion regulation, dispositional mindfulness, and social support may be helpful for adolescents who are at risk of, or are suffering from, social anxiety
Social anxiety was negatively correlated with two dispositional mindfulness subscales and negatively correlated with total social support score and three subscales/sources of social support

Summary

Introduction

Mental health is an important contributor to better quality of life, and low anxiety is a key indicator of mental health. The American Psychological Association defines anxiety as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure” [1]. Anxiety consists of bodily symptoms, a cognitive appraisal and most often a tendency to behave in a certain way (e.g., avoidance). Anxiety lies among the most common mental illnesses with a lifetime prevalence of more than 20% [2]. Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common types of anxiety disorder with the feelings of anxiety, fear, and uneasiness in social situations such as meeting new people and answering a question in a class [3,4]. Social anxiety is a symptom or even a normative phenomenon where an individual is in the fear of social situations involving interaction with

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