Environmental Influences of Anxiety

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)

Persistent fear of social situations due to scrutiny or fear of embarrassment.

SAD Symptoms

Intense anxiety, avoidance, and distress lasting 6+ months.

SAD Prevalence

4.7% in children, 8.3% in adolescents, 17% in youth.

SAD Genetic Risk Factors

~30% heritability with polygenic effects.

SAD Environmental Risk Factors

Non-shared environmental factors making siblings different.

Equifinality (Spence & Rapee, 2016)

Multiple pathways lead to SAD.

Multifinality (Spence & Rapee, 2016)

Single risk factors result in varied outcomes.

Reciprocal Risk Factors (Spence & Rapee, 2016)

Social anxiety leads to peer victimization, increasing anxiety.

Aversive Social Outcomes

Teasing, bullying, rejection, and exclusion linked to SAD.

Peer Influences on SAD

Victimization (overt and relational) increases SAD risk.

SAD and Friendship Quality

Socially anxious children have fewer, lower-quality friendships.

Trauma and SAD Risk

Trauma or maltreatment doubles the likelihood of SAD.

Protective Factors for SAD

Social support mitigates symptoms from negative life events (NLEs).

Cultural Factors in SAD

Collectivist cultures may view social reticence positively; individualistic cultures view withdrawal negatively.

High Social Anxiety (HSA) and Peer Rejection

HSA linked to higher rejection due to poor social skills or perceived attractiveness (Blote et al., 2015).

Social Anxiety and Bullying

Social anxiety predicts victimization in traditional and cyberbullying (Pabian & Vandebosch, 2015).

Victimization and SAD

Prior victimization increases SAD prevalence (Gren-Landell et al., 2011).

Social Support and NLEs

High social support reduces SAD impact from NLEs (Aune et al., 2021).

Generalizability in SAD Research

Many studies use limited demographics, affecting applicability.

Methodological Issues in SAD Research

Reliance on self-reports increases shared method bias.

Cultural Sensitivity in SAD Research

Cultural norms in SAD development need further exploration.