Social Anxiety Symptoms Research Articles

Attention Bias Modification Treatment Versus a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Or Waiting List Control for Social Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Social anxiety disorder is common and impairing. The efficacy of pharmacotherapy is moderate, highlighting the need for alternative therapies. This study compared the efficacy of gaze-contingent music reward therapy (GC-MRT), an eye-tracking-based attention bias modification treatment, with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment or a waiting list control condition in reducing social anxiety disorder symptoms. Superior clinical effects of similar magnitude were expected for the active treatments relative to the control condition. Participants were 105 treatment-seeking adults with social anxiety disorder, randomly allocated to 12 weeks of GC-MRT, SSRI, or waiting list control. Mean changes in clinician-rated and self-reported social anxiety symptoms from baseline to mid- and posttreatment assessments were compared between groups using generalized estimating equations. Changes in attentional dwell time on threat were also examined. Analysis indicated a significant differential reduction in symptoms between groups. Patients in the GC-MRT and SSRI groups had lower social anxiety scores at the mid- and posttreatment assessments compared with patients in the waiting list group. The efficacy of the active treatments did not differ. Only patients in the GC-MRT group showed reduction in dwell time on threat from baseline to posttreatment assessment. Eye-tracking-based attention bias modification is an acceptable and effective treatment option for social anxiety disorder.

Family Victimization Among Canadian Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents and Emerging Adults

Objectives: This paper examines family victimization, well-being, and resilience among sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents and emerging adults aged 15 to 29 years.
 Methods: Self-reported data were collected online (2019-2020) from 1,971 Canadian SGM youths. We used logistic regression to estimate the odds of: (a) having experienced family victimization over the past 12 months; (b) reporting well-being across the various frequencies of family victimization; and (c) thriving (i.e., flourishing despite having experienced family victimization).
 Results: About 36% of participants experienced family victimization within the previous 12 months, with 13% reporting recurrent family victimization. Recurrent victimization was more prevalent among trans and nonbinary youths as compared to cisgender men, and was also more prevalent among socioeconomically disadvantaged participants. Recurrent victimization was significantly associated with higher odds of reporting internalized heterosexism, efforts to conceal gender and sexual orientation, languishing mental health, social anxiety, loneliness, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Thriving participants were less likely to experience activity restrictions or to live with at least one parent, and more likely to score higher on authenticity scales, to report proactive norms against violence within their family, and to have food and economic security.
 Conclusion: Despite recent advances in SGM rights and acceptance, SGM youths still face family victimization and compromised well-being.
 Implications: These findings underline the importance of screening for family violence among SGM youths, particularly among trans youths and those of lower socioeconomic status. Findings also underline the importance of providing SGM youth both a safe family environment and material security.

Examining social reinforcement learning in social anxiety

Background and objectivesReinforcement learning biases have been empirically linked to anhedonia in depression and theoretically linked to social anhedonia in social anxiety disorder, but little work has directly assessed how socially anxious individuals learn from social reward and punishment. MethodsN = 157 individuals high and low in social anxiety symptoms completed a social probabilistic selection task that involved selecting between pairs of neutral faces with varying probabilities of changing to a happy or angry face. Computational modeling was performed to estimate learning rates. Accuracy in choosing the more rewarding face was also analyzed. ResultsNo significant group differences were found for learning rates. Contrary to hypotheses, participants high in social anxiety showed impaired punishment learning accuracy; they were more accurate at choosing the most rewarding face than they were at avoiding the most punishing face, and their punishment learning accuracy was lower than that of participants low in social anxiety. Secondary analyses found that high (vs. low) social anxiety participants were less accurate at selecting the more rewarding face on more (vs. less) punishing face pairs. LimitationsStimuli were static, White, facial images, which lack important social cues (e.g., movement, sound) and diversity, and participants were largely non-Hispanic, White undergraduates, whose social reinforcement learning may differ from individuals at different developmental stages and those holding more marginalized identities. ConclusionsSocially anxious individuals may be less accurate at learning to avoid social punishment, which may maintain negative beliefs through an interpersonal stress generation process.

Video feedback to update negative self-perceptions in social anxiety disorder: A comparison of internet-delivered vs face-to-face cognitive therapy formats

BackgroundVideo feedback is a technique used in cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder (CT-SAD) to update patients' negative self-perceptions of how they appear to others. Clients are supported to watch video of themselves engaging in social interactions. While typically undertaken in session with a therapist, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of remotely delivered video feedback embedded within an Internet-based cognitive therapy program (iCT-SAD). MethodsWe examined patients' self-perceptions and social anxiety symptoms before and after video feedback in two randomised controlled trials. Study 1 compared 49 iCT-SAD participants with 47 from face-to-face CT-SAD. Study 2 was a replication using data from 38 iCT-SAD participants from Hong Kong. ResultsIn Study 1, ratings of self-perceptions and social anxiety showed significant reductions following video feedback, in both treatment formats. 92 % of participants in iCT-SAD, and 96 % in CT-SAD thought they looked less anxious compared to their predictions after viewing the videos. The change in self-perception ratings was larger in CT-SAD compared to iCT-SAD, but there was no evidence that the impact of video feedback on social anxiety symptoms around a week later differed between the two treatments. Study 2 replicated the iCT-SAD findings of Study 1. LimitationsThe level of therapist support in iCT-SAD videofeedback varied with clinical need and was not measured. ConclusionsThe findings indicate that video feedback can be delivered effectively online, and that its impact on social anxiety is not significantly different from in-person treatment delivery.

Perceived Parental Attitudes and Hopelessness in Predicting Social Anxiety Symptoms of Turkish Male and Female Adolescents

Perceived Parental Attitudes and Hopelessness in Predicting Social Anxiety Symptoms of Turkish Male and Female Adolescents

The impact of restrictions due to covid-19 on mental health of adolescents including the incidence of the social anxiety disorder and progression of already existing social anxiety symptoms

IntroductionThe Covid-19 pandemic has brought many changes to everyday life of adolescents. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of restrictions due to Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of adolescents: changes in everyday life that can potentially have an impact on their mental health, the prevalence and worsening of social anxiety symptoms and consequent depression symptomsObjectivesTo evaluate the impact of restrictions due to Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of adolescents: changes in everyday life that can potentially have an impact on their mental health, the prevalence and worsening of social anxiety symptoms and consequent depression symptomsMethodsAnonymised questionnaires were used to collect the data. They were given to the patients staying in the department of psychiatry of Children’s Clinical University Hospital in Riga, Jugla as well as to some adolescents visiting child psychiatrist in outpatient settings from January till the end of April, 2022. The following personal data were collected - age, gender, family status - as well as information about different factors affecting the mental health of adolescents during the pandemic: how often they spent time with friends, whether or not they have lost any friends, distance learning, seeking help from mental health professionals, quality of sleep and a chance to receive emotional support. Patients also filled Liebowitz social anxiety scale and PHQ-9: modified for adolescents’ depression scale.ResultsRestrictions due to pandemic mostly affect the participants negatively, promoting the worsening of social anxiety symptoms in 42% of the respondents with positive results of the Liebowitz scale. Statistically significant connection between social anxiety and depression symptoms was found. During the pandemic most of the patients were more often seeking professional help. Patients with worsening social anxiety symptoms were found to have statistically significant connection to losing friends during the pandemic. Most of the recipients with already diagnosed social anxiety were given this diagnosis during the pandemic (67% of the cases).ConclusionsThe restrictions due to Covid – 19 pandemics negatively affect adolescents including those with social anxiety, promoting the worsening of symptoms as well as prevalence of depression symptoms in these individuals. The results suggest that coping strategies must be implemented in order to decrease the consequences of the pandemic on adolescents.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Shame Experiences And Psychopathology: The Mediating Role Of Self-compassion And Social Support In Sexual Minority Individuals

Sexual Minority (SM) individuals who are victims of stigma have reported higher levels of traumatic shame experiences and psychopathology symptoms (depression and social anxiety) when compared to heterosexual individuals. Self-compassion and social support have been described as protective factors. This study aimed to explore the mediating role of self-compassion and social support in the relationship between shame felt in traumatic experiences and psychopathology symptoms in a sample of SM individuals. The sample was composed of 264 adult SM individuals who reported traumatic shame experiences (56% men, 36% women, and 8% nonbinary). Correlations between variables were significant and ranged from very weak to moderate. Two models were performed, one for each dependent variable (depression and social anxiety symptoms). The mediating models revealed different results: compassionate actions was a significant mediator in the relationship of shame in traumatic experiences with depression symptoms and social anxiety symptoms, social support from friends had the same role on the prediction of depression, and social support from the family was a significant mediator on the prediction of social anxiety symptoms. These results suggest the importance of cultivating compassionate actions and promoting social support in intervention programs with SM individuals with early traumatic shame experiences, to target depression and social anxiety symptoms.

The meditating role of sleep in the longitudinal associations between peer victimization and internalizing symptoms: A cross-lagged panel analysis.

Adolescence is a time of heightened vulnerability for both peer victimization (PV) and internalizing symptoms. While the positive association between them is well established, there is little understanding of the mechanisms underpinning this relationship. To address this gap, the current study aimed to investigate sleep hygiene and school night sleep duration as individual and sequential mediators of the relationship between PV and both depressive and social anxiety symptoms during pre- to mid-adolescence. The study drew upon a community sample of 528 Australian youth aged 10-12 years at baseline (M age = 11.19, SD = .55; 51.1% boys) and data were collected over five annual measurement occasions. Direct and indirect longitudinal and bidirectional associations were examined using cross-lagged panel analysis. There was no evidence of sequential mediation through both sleep hygiene and sleep duration to depression and social anxiety. Instead, the findings show that sleep hygiene mediated the prospective association between PV and both depressive and social anxiety symptoms, and between PV and sleep duration. Overall, sleep hygiene represents a modifiable transdiagnostic factor that can be targeted to break the cycle of PV, inadequate sleep, and internalizing symptoms.

Affective and physiological responses to human body odors in social anxiety – a pilot study on the possible effects as catalyst for treatment

IntroductionUnderstanding the way chemistry influences human communication is important since the reaction to chemosignals has many implications for science and society.Numerous research points out that human beings are able to identify feelings of fear and happiness through smell. Such emotional information can lead to approach-avoidance behaviors or changes in affective state. Moreover, a heightened sensitivity to social odors has been shown in subjects with social anxiety symptoms. However, more detailed research on the connection between olfaction, affective psychiatric disorders and interpersonal social communication is required.POTION is an EU funded project within the Horizon2020 initiative that aims at understanding the nature of chemosignals in humans and their sphere of influence on social interaction. Whitin this project, we conducted a preliminary study showing that individuals with social anxiety symptoms benefited from mindfulness training especially when exposed to social chemosignals. A significant reduction in anxiety symptoms was achieved with both the happiness (t(25)=4.37, p=0.029) and the fear (t(25)=4.35, p=0.031) chemosignals. Moreover, individuals exposed to the happiness chemosignal exhibit highier vagal tone compared to subjects exposed to fear chemosignals (p = 0.026), indicating overall increased well-being.ObjectivesGiven the exploratory nature of the preliminary study, an hypothesis driven pilot-RCT with larger sample size and refined design has been conducted. The aim was to further explore the catalyst effect of body odor on anxiety reduction. Notably, if the odor groups (happiness, fear or neutral) differ with the control group (clean air) and if they differ between each other in the outcome measure.MethodsTo this end, 96 participants with social anxiety symptoms (women aged between 18 to 35) were randomly allocated to one exposure group (happiness, fear or neutral human body odor or clean air) and followed a mindfulness intervention while being exposed to the odor. Psychological outcomes were measured before and after the intervention through the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. During the intervention participants’ skin conductance and heart rate was also measured.Analysis of variance will be performed to assess psychological outcome differences between and within groups, as well as interactions (GroupxTime).ResultsResults of the study will be available and presented at the time of the congress.ConclusionsThis study represents an advancement in the field mental health as it explores the potential impact of using human chemosignals in the clinical setting.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

The vineyard as a therapeutic landscape of the mind: preliminary results of a pilot study

IntroductionYoung people represent a vulnerable population, with 75% of mental disorders first emerging before 25 years of age. This pilot stems from the acknowledged need to design and test non-stigmatizing programs that are appealing to young people and suited for the protean mental health problems that they experience.ObjectivesThe study involves a group of youths (aged 16-25) with different forms of mental ill-health in a locally and culturally meaningful activity, namely hand-harvesting grape in the renowned area of Langhe (Italy). The aim is to investigate viticultural practices as possibly effective in supporting recovery by promoting social interaction and fostering a sense of belonging in the broader process of winemaking.MethodsThe project is multidisciplinary in its design and implementation, involving psychiatrists, psychologists, rehabilitation specialists and sociologists. Research methods include clinical assessment, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with the participants.ResultsDuring the harvest season, a stable group of participants has been involved in a one-to-one relationship with professional vine growers. This relational geometry was built around the performance of a practical task: that of filling in a box with manually harvested grape and moving it along the rows of vines. Within each dyad, which represents the most fragile and intimate of all social forms, practical knowledge has been conveyed from the experienced worker to the youth. Most importantly, the repeated encounters provided an opportunity for human interaction and exchange that went beyond the activity being performed, involving the gradual disclosure of self, the ability to listen, connect and empathize with personal stories from diverse backgrounds. Participants’ narratives collected during and after the pilot describe the vineyard as a psychic more than a physical place – a landscape of the mind, structured around the emotional and sensorial contents of the experience. The study’s core finding emerging from fieldwork and youths’ accounts is the beneficial effects of the intervention on transdiagnostic factors such as social anxiety symptoms, low self-efficacy and poor social skills.ConclusionsThe pilot provides suggestions to orient meaningful and non-stigmatising programs for vulnerable young people, hosted in landscapes that can become therapeutic not by virtue of their aesthetic features, but because of the access they provide to social (i.e. opportunities for new relationships), material (occasions to create and share something tangible) and affective (promotion of positive emotions, containment of loneliness and feelings of inadequacy) resources.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Social Anxiety Across Sexual and Gender Identity Subpopulations

Recent research indicates that gay/lesbian identified sexual minority individuals report lower social anxiety than their counterparts who identify as bisexual or indicate an emerging identity label (e.g., queer, pansexual, or asexual). The current study advances the knowledge base by comparing levels of social anxiety across both sexualandgender identity subpopulations in a sexual minority sample residing in the Republic of Ireland. Six hundred two sexual minority adults participated in an online survey in which they completed measures of sociodemographic variables (including sexual and gender identity) and social anxiety. Across gender identity subpopulations, transgender/non-binary individuals were more likely to report elevated social anxiety symptoms than both cisgender men and cisgender women; further, cisgender women were more likely to report elevated social anxiety symptoms than cisgender men. Within each of these gender identity groups, there was no significant difference in odds of elevated social anxiety symptoms across sexual identity subgroups (gay/lesbian, bisexual, and emerging identity) when adjusted for sociodemographic variables. Results highlight the necessity to represent the mental health experiences of diverse sexual minority subpopulations, especially in population-based studies of sexual minority mental health. Additionally, future studies should aim to explore the potentially distinctive and complex social stressors encountered by the diverse groups within the sexual and gender minority population.

Longitudinal links between adolescent social anxiety and depressive symptoms: stressful experiences at home, in school and with peers

Social anxiety and depressive symptoms often co-occur during early adolescence but contributing factors to this development are still a matter of debate. This study examined the role of daily stressors (peers, school performance, and homelife) in the links between adolescent social anxiety and depressive symptoms. 7–8th graders at Time 1 (N = 2,752, M age = 13.65; 47.5% girls) were followed across three time-points. Cross-lagged path models showed that depressive symptoms predicted later social anxiety, but not vice versa. Bidirectional links were identified between peer stress and social anxiety, and between school performance/homelife stress and depressive symptoms, respectively. Indirect effects of social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and daily stressors were found, though stressors did not mediate the links between social anxiety and depressive symptoms (or vice versa). Our findings indicate an intricate role of daily stressors in different domains, such as peers, school performance, and homelife, on the links between social anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Stress generation in social anxiety and depression: A two-study community assessment

BackgroundStress generation theory suggests that people engage in certain behaviors that causally generate “dependent” stressful life events. Stress generation has primarily been studied in the context of depression with limited consideration of anxiety. People with social anxiety exhibit maladaptive social and regulatory behaviors that may uniquely generate stress. MethodAcross two studies, we examined if people with elevated social anxiety experienced more dependent stressful life events than those lower in social anxiety. On an exploratory basis, we examined differences in perceived intensity, chronicity, and self-blame of stressful life events. As a conservative test, we examined whether observed relationships held after covarying depression symptoms. Community adults (Ns = 303; 87) completed semi-structured interviews about recent stressful life events. ResultsParticipants with higher social anxiety symptoms (Study 1) and social anxiety disorder (SAD; Study 2) reported more dependent stressful life events than those with lower social anxiety. In Study 2, healthy controls rated dependent events as less impactful than independent events; those with SAD rated dependent and independent events as equally impactful. Regardless of social anxiety symptoms, participants placed greater blame on themselves for the occurrence of dependent than independent events. LimitationsLife events interviews are retrospective and preclude conclusions about short-term changes. Mechanisms of stress generation were not assessed. ConclusionsResults provide initial evidence for the role of stress generation in social anxiety that may be distinct from depression. Implications for assessing and treating unique and shared features of affective disorders are discussed.

Prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression among community-dwelling older adults in Hunan, China: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundOlder adults’ psychological health is a public health issue that cannot be ignored, especially when these psychological health problems and related factors change across different social backgrounds because of rapid changes in traditions and family structures and the epidemic responses after the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. The aim of our study is to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression and their associated factors among community-dwelling older adults in China.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2021 with 1173 participants aged 65 years or above from three communities in Hunan Province, China who were selected using convenience sampling. A structured questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), the 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item (PHQ-9) was used to collect relevant demographic and clinical data and to measure social support status, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Bivariate analyses were conducted to explore the difference in anxiety and depression based on samples’ different characteristics. The multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to test for significant predictors of anxiety and depression.ResultsThe prevalence of anxiety and depression were 32.74% and 37.34%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that being female, being unemployed before retirement age, lacking physical activity, having physical pain, and having three or more comorbidities were significant predictors for anxiety. Subjective social support and support utilization were significant protective factors. Regarding depression, religion, lacking physical activity, having physical pain, having three or more comorbidities were found to be significant predictors. Support utilization was a significant protective factor.ConclusionsThe study group showed a high prevalence of anxiety and depression. Gender, employment status, physical activity, physical pain, comorbidities, and social support were associated with psychological health problems of older adults. These findings suggest that governments should focus on the psychological health problems of older adults by raising community awareness of issues related to older adults’ psychological health. They should also screen for anxiety and depression among high-risk groups and encourage individuals to seek supportive counseling.

Posttraumatic stress among trauma-exposed Hispanic/Latinx adults: relations to mental health

ABSTRACT Latinx persons are exposed to higher rates of traumatic events and conditional risks for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and comorbid mental health symptoms compared to other minority groups. The study evaluated PTSD symptom severity for global and specific cluster severity relating to co-occurring anxiety, social anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among 326 Latinx adults who endorsed trauma exposure. Results indicated that global PTSD symptom severity was significantly related to greater social anxiety, anxious arousal, depression, and suicidal ideation symptoms. PTSD arousal and reactivity symptom cluster had the strongest relation to anxious arousal, social anxiety, and depression, whereas negative alterations in cognitions and mood symptoms had the strongest association with social anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The findings suggest that global PTSD symptom severity, alongside arousal and reactivity and negative alterations in cognitions and mood, are related to a range of concurrent negative mental health symptoms among trauma exposed Latinx young adults.

Examining the Latent Dimensions of Social Anxiety Disorder.

While the body of literature has investigated the latent dimensions of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), only few have directly anchored in the DSM-5 SAD symptoms. Similarly, a continuing issue on measuring mental health disorders pertains to whether a symptom's frequency, intensity, or both, are appropriate and sufficient indicators of severity. To address this gap, the present study developed and validated a DSM-5-based measurement tool, the Social Anxiety Symptom Severity Inventory (SASSI), which assesses both the intensity (intensity of disturbance) and frequency (frequency of occurrence) of SAD symptoms. In study 1 (n = 6458, college students), the results revealed a two-factor structure using exploratory structural equation modeling. In study 2 (n = 425, left-behind emerging adults), confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance testing, and latent class analysis were used. Findings demonstrated the importance of using both frequency and intensity of symptoms in assessing SAD severity. Moreover, a five-class solution best fitted the sample. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated the good psychometric properties of SASSI and filled an important gap among available measures in assessing SAD severity through symptom frequency and intensity.

What explains the failure to identify replicable moderators of symptom change in social anxiety disorder?

Trials of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder (SAD) have struggled to identify replicable moderators of treatment outcome. This could be due to a genuine lack of effects, or a spurious finding caused by methodological factors such as inadequate testing of theory-driven moderators, use of small homogenous samples, failure to model non-linear relationships, and over-reliance on significance testing. We probed explanations for the field’s failure to detect moderators by testing whether 15 theory-driven and atheoretical variables moderated treatment outcome in a large heterogeneous sample treated with group CBT for SAD. Moderation was not assessed by only using p-values for linear models, but also by considering effect sizes, plots, and non-linear relationships. Despite using a comprehensive approach to assess moderation, only two variables – the baseline severity of SAD symptoms and fear of negative evaluation (FNE) – were found to moderate social anxiety symptom trajectories. FNE had a non-linear relationship with symptom change that would have been missed using common research methods. Our findings suggest both a genuine lack of effects and limitations of research methods have contributed to the field’s inability to identify moderators. We provide suggestions that may increase the likelihood of future researchers detecting genuine effects.

The Relationship between Social Support and Anxiety Symptoms in Informal Carers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Providing care can be challenging for informal carers and increases the risk of mental health problems, such as experiencing clinical symptoms of anxiety. While strengthening social support for informal carers is a common recommendation to reduce this risk, no systematic review or meta-analysis to date has examined the relationship between social support and anxiety symptoms in informal carers. The aim of our study was to systematically review the current evidence on the association between perceived and received social support and anxiety symptoms in informal carers of dependent adults and older people, and to comment on the quality of the evidence. We searched PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO (ProQuest), Scopus, and LILACS up to 31 March 2021 for articles reporting on the association between caregiver anxiety symptoms and social support. A random-effects model was used to pool estimates, and each study was rated for quality using pre-specified criteria. Publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot and Egger's regression test, which was adjusted using trim and fill analysis. From the 2180 identified articles, 35 studies met our inclusion criteria, reporting on 5036 informal carers in total. We found a moderate negative association between perceived social support and caregiver anxiety symptoms (r = -0.31, 95% CI = -0.35, -0.27) and a small, negative association between received social support and caregiver anxiety (r = -0.15, 95% CI = -0.22, -0.08). The levels of perceived social support showed a significant negative association with caregiver anxiety symptoms. Policymakers and those working directly with informal carers should consider the development of targeted social support interventions that specifically enhance the levels of perceived social support to reduce symptoms of anxiety in informal carers.

Development of Neural Mechanisms Underlying Threat Processing: Associations With Childhood Social Reticence and Adolescent Anxiety

BackgroundSocial reticence in early childhood is characterized by shy and anxiously avoidant behavior, and it confers risk for pediatric anxiety disorders later in development. Aberrant threat processing may play a critical role in this association between early reticent behavior and later psychopathology. The goal of this longitudinal study is to characterize developmental trajectories of neural mechanisms underlying threat processing and relate these trajectories to associations between early-childhood social reticence and adolescent anxiety. MethodsIn this 16-year longitudinal study, social reticence was assessed from 2 to 7 years of age; anxiety symptoms and neural mechanisms during the dot-probe task were assessed at 10, 13, and 16 years of age. The sample included 144 participants: 71 children provided data at age 10 (43 girls, meanage = 10.62), 85 at age 13 (46 girls, meanage = 13.25), and 74 at age 16 (36 girls, meanage = 16.27). ResultsA significant interaction manifested among social reticence, anxiety symptoms, and time, on functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, voxelwise p < .001, clusterwise familywise error p < .05. Children with high social reticence showed a negative association between amygdala–dorsolateral prefrontal cortex connectivity and anxiety symptoms with age, compared to children with low social reticence, suggesting distinct neurodevelopmental pathways to anxiety. ConclusionsThese findings were present across all conditions, suggesting task-general effects in potential threat processing. Additionally, the timing of these neurodevelopmental pathways differed for children with high versus low social reticence, which could affect the timing of effective preventive interventions.

SOCIALANXIETY AND SOCIAL-MEDIAADDICTION IN MEDICAL UNDERGRADUATES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Background: Social anxiety is experience of irrational fear in various social situations. People with social anxiety tend to avoid from a particular situation as they fear being judged. Social media addiction refers to excessive urge in using various social media platforms and unable to withhold their use which has a negative effect on an individual's life. AIM: This study aims at assessing the social anxiety symptoms and to correlate between social anxiety and social media addiction among medical undergraduates. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study with sample population consisting of medical undergraduates of a tertiary care hospital. Tools used in this study are a semi structured questionnaire for socio demographic details, Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) and Social Media Addiction Scale-Student Form (SMAS-SF). Results: 100 medical undergraduates were included in this study. The sample consists of 63% males and 37% females with mean age of 19.85 years. Mean LSAS score is 45.03 (21.501) and mean SMAS-SF is 72.56 (16.754). Pearson's correlation (0.312) between LSAS scores and SMAS-SF scores is statistically signicant. Conclusion: This study shows a positively signicant correlation between symptoms of social anxiety and social media addiction among the medical undergraduates