Poster #63 - The Potential Protective Role of Social Anxiety in Social and Academic Functioning During Early Adolescence

• In Event: 2-163 - Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Section - Developmental Psychopathology

Integrative Statement

Adolescents with clinically elevated social anxiety experience dysfunction in numerous domains (de Lijster et al., 2018), but even at sub-clinical levels, social anxiety has been related to decreased social competence and academic achievement (Kingery et al., 2010; Voltas et al., 2014). However, the Yerkes-Dodson law (1908) proposes that moderate arousal levels are beneficial for optimal functioning, with arousal and performance having an inverted-U shape association. Indeed, there is evidence that moderate levels of social anxiety may be related to increased academic functioning (Brière et al., 2017; Voltas et al., 2014). Similarly, social anxiety has been found to have social benefits for children and adolescents with autism (Pugliese et al., 2013; Usher et al., 2015), but less research has investigated the potential benefits of social anxiety in social functioning for typical adolescents. The current study takes a seldom-used positive development perspective in examining social anxiety among early adolescents, investigating the potential protective role of moderate social anxiety by assessing curvilinear associations between social anxiety and social and academic functioning in accordance with Yerkes-Dodson law.

Adolescents (N=1623) from five New England middle schools participated in this study (51% female, 51% White, Mage=12.75 years at baseline). Trained research staff distributed paper surveys to students in school at two time points ~ 6 months apart (Fall 2016, T1; Spring 2017, T2). Participants completed the Social Anxiety Disorder Subscale of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED; Birmaher et al., 1999; α=.87 at both time points), the Social Acceptance, Close Friendships, and Academic Subscales of Harter’s Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents-Revised Question Format (SPPA-R; Wichstrom, 1995; α=.70-.79 across time points), and the Subjective Social Status Scale (Sweeting et al., 2011), which asked adolescents how their perceived power, popularity, and school grades compared with their peers. Participants also described their current school grades (mostly A’s, A’s and B’s, etc.). Two path models examined the linear and curvilinear paths from social anxiety at T1 to social and academic functioning at T2.

In Model 1 (Figure 1), adolescents’ social anxiety had a negative linear association with social acceptance self-competence (β=-.11, p<.001), close friendships self-competence (β=-.09, p<.01), and perceived power (β=-.06, p<.05). Further, social anxiety had a negative quadratic association with perceived popularity (β=-.09, p<.001) and perceived power (β=-.06, p<.05), suggesting an inverse-U shape function. In Model 2 (Figure 2), there was a positive linear association and a negative quadratic association between social anxiety and perceived academic achievement (β=.08, p<.01; β=-.08, p<.001, respectively).

Overall, findings provide partial support for hypotheses that social anxiety would be linked to the most adaptive social and academic outcomes at moderate levels. Social anxiety negatively impacted multiple facets of social competence in a linear function, but was actually most positively predictive of adolescents’ perceived peer status and academic achievement at moderate levels of social anxiety. In accordance with Yerkes-Dodson law (1908), results demonstrate that moderate social anxiety, relative to low or high social anxiety, positively predicted some comparative indicators of adolescent social and academic competence.

Authors

• Courtney R Lincoln, Connecticut Children's Medical Center
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anna Vannucci, Connecticut Children's Medical Center
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emily Grace Simpson, Connecticut Children's Medical Center
  Presenting Author

• Melanie Klinck, UConn Health
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christine McCauley Ohannessian, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
  Non-Presenting Author