The mediating role of attitudes towards sexual education in the relationship between fathers’ social anxiety and sexual communication language: a cross-sectional study in Turkey

BackgroundNomophobia and social anxiety have significant negative implications for the physical and mental health of students, as well as their academic performance. Considering the variability in findings across studies on the prevalence of nomophobia and social anxiety, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of nomophobia, its associated factors, and its relationship with social interaction anxiety among nursing students.MethodsThis cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted between August 22nd and September 23rd, 2023, at the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Kermanshah, located in western Iran. A convenience sampling method was employed, resulting in the recruitment of 258 participants. Data were collected using a three-part questionnaire, including a demographic information form, the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) to assess the severity of nomophobia, and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) to measure social anxiety levels. Data were analyzed using STATA, version 14. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic and clinical characteristics. The Chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, the Pearson correlation coefficient, and linear regression modeling were employed for inferential analysis.ResultsAll participating nursing students (n = 258) exhibited some degree of nomophobia. The prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe nomophobia was 40.7%, 40.3%, and 19%, respectively. Furthermore, 25.6% of the students experienced social anxiety. A significant positive correlation was found between nomophobia scores and social interaction anxiety (r =.37, P <.001). Social interaction anxiety emerged as the only significant independent predictor of nomophobia (P <.001), explaining 21% of the variance in nomophobia scores.ConclusionsThe results indicate both the prevalence of nomophobia and social anxiety, as well as the correlation between these two factors among students. Considering the numerous risks associated with nomophobia and social interaction anxiety, it is essential to optimize technology use and improve social interactions among students. Identifying students at risk of nomophobia and social interaction anxiety and providing psychological counseling services to them should be prioritized.

The aim of the study was to examine the direct and indirect associations between fathers' childhood abuse experiences and their levels of self-esteem, social anxiety, attitudes towards sexual education and sexual communication language levels with their children. The sample of the study consisted of 587 fathers. Data were collected through 'Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form', 'Social Anxiety Scale Short Form', 'Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale', 'Attitude Towards Sexual Education Scale', 'Sexual Communication Scale for Parents' and 'Demographic Information Form'. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and path analysis conducted in SPSS 24 and R. The findings showed that childhood abuse experiences were positively correlated with social anxiety and negatively correlated with self-esteem and father's sexual communication language with his child. As a result of the path analysis, it was found that childhood abuse experiences were positively associated with social anxiety and negatively associated with self-esteem and sexual communication language. Self-esteem was negatively associated with social anxiety and positively associated with sexual communication language; social anxiety was negatively associated with attitudes towards sexual education and sexual communication language; and attitudes towards sexual education were positively associated with sexual communication language. Childhood abuse experiences were also indirectly associated with social anxiety, attitudes towards sexual education, and sexual communication language through self-esteem and social anxiety. Overall, the findings were discussed within the framework of father-child sexual communication language and fathers' involvement in the sexual education process.

Sex differences in seizure effects on social anxiety in persons with epilepsy

Research suggests a positive relationship between social anxiety and shame; however, few studies have examined this relationship or potential mechanisms. Common behaviours of persons with social anxiety disorder (SAD), such as submissive behaviours, may be more consistent with societal expectations of women than men and therefore more likely to be associated with shame in socially anxious men than women. We examined the hypothesis that submissive behaviours would mediate the relationship between social anxiety and shame in men, but not in women, with SAD. Moderated mediation was examined in a cross-sectional dataset. Gender was modeled to moderate the paths from social anxiety to submissive behaviours and from submissive behaviours to shame. We also examined an alternative model of the relationships among these variables and the potential contributory role of depression. Men (n = 48) and women (n = 40) with SAD completed the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, Submissive Behaviour Scale, Internalized Shame Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory. Analyses supported the hypothesized model. The relationship between submissive behaviours and shame was greater in men than women with SAD; the relationship between social anxiety and submissive behaviours was not. Controlling for depression, moderation remained evident although diminished. Results for the comparison model did not support gender moderation. Submissive behaviours mediated the relationship between social anxiety and shame in men, but not women, with SAD. These findings provide preliminary evidence for a model of shame in SAD and may help to further elucidate specific features of SAD that differ between men and women. Although researchers have argued that the display of submissive behaviours might allow the socially anxious individual to limit or prevent attacks on the self, our results suggest that there are greater costs, with regard to feelings of shame, associated with such behaviours for men. In men with SAD, the greater shame associated with submissive behaviours can be understood when considering that socially anxious individuals appear to be particularly concerned with concealing aspects of the self believed to violate perceived societal norms and that traditional masculine gender roles revolve around the theme of dominance. Because the study was conducted in individuals with SAD, it is possible that the restricted range of social anxiety severity may have precluded the observation of gender differences in the relationship between social anxiety and submissive behaviour. Measures were administered in a cross-sectional design, which limits potential inferences of causality.

BackgroundThis cross-sectional study examined the relationship of sports and perceived social support with social anxiety in young adults. We aimed to find out whether participation in sports and good social support were associated with lower social anxiety symptoms in individuals aged 18–40 years in Switzerland.MethodsParticipants aged 18–40 years were recruited through an online panel, which included company data pools, mail/email invitations, and social media. The survey included validated instruments: the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) for social anxiety, the Physical Activity and Sports Questionnaire (BSA-F) for sports participation, and the German Questionnaire for Social Support (F-SozU). Sociodemographic data and sports duration were also collected, with sports classified by type and duration. We fitted linear regression models to explore associations between social anxiety, sports type, duration, and perceived social support. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsA total of 104 participants (51% female; mean age = 30.2 years, SD = 6.2) completed the survey, with 65.4% reporting recent sports participation, averaging 4.5 h/week. Social anxiety scores did not differ significantly across no sport, individual sport, or group sport participants. However, longer sports duration was associated with lower social anxiety scores, even after adjusting for perceived social support and sociodemographic factors. Social support was independently and negatively associated with social anxiety, highlighting its protective role regardless of sport type or duration.ConclusionOur findings suggest that sports involvement and supportive social networks are associated with lower social anxiety. Sports and social support should be considered to treat social anxiety, along with primary treatments such as psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.

Background: Social anxiety disorder is a common mental health disorder which effects the young generation of adolescents and it is often associated with comorbidities such as depression, suicide ideation, and substance abuse disorder. Cyber addiction is a significant mental health problem among college-going students. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of social anxiety in adolescents and to explore its correlation with Internet usage among college-going students of the central part of Kashmir. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 220 undergraduate college-going students of the central part of Kashmir to screen for social anxiety and social phobia using a Social Interaction Anxiety Scale a validated instrument, and Young’s Internet Addiction Scale was used for measuring Internet addiction. Participants of the study were categorized according to the severity of anxiety and social phobia obtained and later compared with their Internet addiction behaviors. Results: The results of the study revealed that cyber addiction was seen among 93.18% of study participants. The prevalence of social anxiety and social phobia was estimated to be 25.0% and 35.90%. Cyber addiction was positively correlated with social anxiety score (Pearson correlation = 0.994, P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: More than 93.18% of participants had cyber addiction; the majority had mild-to-moderate cyber addiction. Social anxiety was present in more than one-third of the students and social anxiety disorder was found to be associated with cyber addiction among college-going students.

Academic self-efficacy is an important determinant of academic success which could be affected by many factors both psychological and social. The present research was conducted to highlight the role of academic self-efficacy and social anxiety which could affect the academic performance of the students. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between academic self-efficacy, social anxiety and academic success with the hypothesis that academic self-efficacy positively and social anxiety inversely related and predicted academic success. Researchers choose to study the topic with a cross-sectional research design. Through the survey method, a convenient sample of 250 undergraduate students in the age range of 18 to 24 (M=21.35, SD=1.54) was obtained. Educational Self-Efficacy Scale for academic self-efficacy, Social Interaction Anxiety scale for measuring social anxiety and CGPA for academic success, along with a demographic sheet were used to collect data. Pearson product-moment correlation results indicated that academic self-efficacy has a statistically significant positive association with academic success (r=.367, n=250, p=.05) and has an inverse relationship with social anxiety(r=-.463, n=250, p=.01). Likewise, social anxiety shares a significant, inverse relationship with academic success (r=-.389, n= 250, p=.05). Moreover, Academic self-efficacy positively (β= .472, p&lt; .001) and social anxiety inversely predicted academic success (β= -.431, p&lt; .001). For improving academic performance, the focus of students, educators, counsellors and parents must be on improving academic self-efficacy and managing psychological issues like social anxiety as per the implications of the present research.

NISAN, MORDECAI, and KOHLBERG, LAWRENCE. Universality and Variation in Moral Judgment: A Longitudinal and Cross-sectional Study in Turkey. CHID DEVELOPMENT, 1982, 53, 865-876. A longitudinal and cross-sectional study of moral judgment development in Turkey is described. Rural and city subjects aged 10 through 28 were individually interviewed on Kohlberg's moral dilemmas. The responses were analyzed using a new manual, which calls for matching responses to criteria judgments. The results support the claim for structural universality in moral judgment: the Turkish responses fitted the moral judgment stages and exhibited the claimed sequence in both the longitudinal and the cross-sectional studies. The study also showed several aspects of variation in moral judgment. Village subjects showed a slower rate of development than city subjects. Beyond the age of 16 all the village subjects showed some conventional judgment; however, they seemed to stabilize at stage 3. Independent of stage level, the village subjects tended to justify their moral decisions mainly in the normfollowing and utilitarian modes, while city subjects (in the older group) showed a tendency to use deontological and perfectionistic justifications.

Research has demonstrated that some risk and protective factors of gaming disorder (GD) have been identified. However, the interaction of GD with risk and protective factors has rarely been examined from a network analysis perspective. Therefore, the present study examined the relationships between GD, risk factors (i.e., social anxiety and fear of missing out), and protective factors (i.e., resilience, authenticity, and family closeness) utilizing a network analysis approach among a sample of Chinese university students. A cross-sectional study with 1364 participants was performed using the Gaming Disorder Test, the short version of Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), the Chinese Trait-State Fear of Missing Out Scale (T-SFoMOSC), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), the Authenticity Scale, and a single item assessing family closeness. Social anxiety, FoMO, and two factors of authenticity (i.e., self-alienation and accepting external influence) had positive relationship with GD, while resilience, authentic living, and family closeness had negative relationship with GD. Social anxiety was identified as the core node in the domain-level network. The item “continuation or escalation of gaming” (gd3) and the item “gaming problems” (gd4) constituted the highest edge weight in the facet-level network. The network comparison demonstrated there were no significant differences in relation to network structures and global strengths between gender. The findings suggest bivariate relationships among GD, risk factors (i.e., social anxiety and fear of missing out), and protective factors (i.e., resilience, authenticity, and family closeness). Interventions for GD must be considered through preventing risk factors and increasing protective factors including improving the gaming motivation and maladaptive cognition to decrease negative emotion (e.g., social anxiety and FoMO), enhancing resilience, authentic living and parent–child relationship, as well as decreasing self-alienation and accepting external influence.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-023-01049-3.

The relationship between social anxiety (SA) and cannabis use among adolescents and young adults is a highly debated topic. In this cross-sectional study, we tested whether cannabis use expectancies mediated the association between SA and cannabis use severity in a sample of 343 young adults (74.3% male) who used cannabis. They completed self-report measures for the screening of problematic cannabis use (Cannabis Use Problems Identification Test) and SA symptoms (Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and Social Phobia Scale). A multiple mediation analysis was used to test whether marijuana effect expectancies mediate SA effect on problematic cannabis use. SA was negatively associated with cannabis use severity in this sample, and we found evidence that cannabis use expectancies fully mediated this relationship. Specifically, global negative effect expectancies influence the relationship between SA and problematic cannabis use. These findings may inform current prevention strategies and clinical intervention for young adults who use cannabis.

Social anxiety is associated with poor quality of life in adults with epilepsy in Northeast China: A cross-sectional study

AimThis study aims to assess the association between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and specialty preference among medical residents and interns in Saudi Arabia.MethodsA multi-center cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among medical interns and residents across Saudi Arabia. A validated online questionnaire was distributed between July 12 and September 2, 2023. Social anxiety was measured using the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), a 20-item self-reported tool. A score of ≥36 was used to identify significant levels of social anxiety.ResultsA total of 196 interns and residents participated in the study. The most preferred specialties included surgical subspecialties (31.1%), followed by medical subspecialties (19.9%). A total of 47 participants (24%) reported that fear influenced their specialty choice, while 63 (32.1%) exhibited significant levels of social anxiety. Social anxiety was significantly higher among interns (59.4%) than residents (33.3% for R1 and 35.1% for R2), with none reported among R5 residents (P =0.001). Fear of social interaction was most common in paramedical (88.9%) and radiology (69.2%) specialties.ConclusionNearly one in three residents and interns experienced significant social anxiety, which influenced their specialty selection—particularly toward less patient- facing fields such as radiology and paramedical specialties. These findings underscore the importance of early psychological screening and support in medical training, which could inform medical education reforms and workforce planning to ensure balanced specialty distribution in the healthcare system.

Concealment behaviors in Korean adults with epilepsy: Their relationships to social anxiety and seizure severity independent of felt stigma

To examine the fear of negative evaluation as a predictor, and to explore the association of social anxiety with psychological correlates among women with polycystic ovaries. The cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2020 to November 2021 after approval form the University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised unmarried women aged 18-26 diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. The sample was raised from different clinics and hospitals based in Lahore and Gujranwala cities. The sample was divided into obese, hirsutism and acne vulgaris groups. Data was collected using a demographic proforma along with standardised Derriford Appearance Scale, Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, University of California, Los Angeles, Loneliness Scale and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale. Data was analysed using SPSS 24. Of the 180 patients, 60(33.3%) were in each of the 3 groups. The overall mean age was 21.4+/-2.27 years. A significant association of fear of negative evaluation was found with appearance distress, social anxiety and loneliness (p<0.05). The fear of negative evaluation and appearance distress also significantly predicted loneliness in the subjects (p<0.01). The obese group scored significantly higher in terms of fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety compared to the other groups (p<0.05). Women with polycystic ovaries were found to be suffering from adverse psychological outcomes and social anxiety.

Social interaction anxiety (SIA) is increasingly recognized as a significant challenge among students, influencing academic achievement, social adjustment, and psychological well-being. In contexts such as Pakistan, cultural expectations, family pressures, and limited access to mental health services can further intensify these experiences. The study aimed to examine the prevalence and severity of SIA among university and college students in Gujrat, Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with 400 participants, including 200 university students and 200 college students. Using a convenient sampling technique, data were collected using the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) along with a demographic questionnaire. The majority of university students (71.3%) experience low social interaction anxiety, and 70.5% college students reported low levels of social interaction anxiety. The findings show that university students reported slightly higher anxiety (M = 31.27, SD = 12.18) than college students (M = 29.40, SD = 9.61), but the difference was not significant (t = 1.70, p = .090). In other words, social anxiety was found to be a shared struggle across both groups. By situating these results in the unique sociocultural landscape of Gujrat, this study contributes to a limited but growing body of literature on student mental health in Pakistan. It underscores the importance of addressing social anxiety to improve students' academic and personal development.