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The relationship between adolescents’ social anxiety level and parental acceptance-rejection and control: the mediating role of ınterpersonal cognitive distortions

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Abstract

There are many studies showing that social anxiety disorder is associated with negative parental attitudes. It is known that exposure to negative parental attitudes and related negative experiences during childhood affect the cognitive process and cause the development of cognitive distortions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between perceived parental acceptance-rejection and control levels and social anxiety levels in adolescents, and the mediating role of interpersonal cognitive distortions in the relationship between both variables. The sample of the study consists of 142 adolescents with a mean age of 15.9 ± 1.36 years. Participants were evaluated with the “Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised Form”, “Child Versions the Parental Acceptance-Rejection/Control Questionnaire for Mothers and Fathers” and “Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions Scale”. The results showed that perceived levels of parental rejection and maternal control positively predicted adolescents’ social anxiety levels and interpersonal cognitive distortion levels. In the regression model established to evaluate the mediating role of the sub-dimensions of interpersonal cognitive distortions; it was found that “unrealistic relationship expectations” played a partial mediator role between mothers’ rejecting and overly controlling attitudes and adolescents’ social anxiety levels. “Interpersonal rejection”, which is the other sub-dimension of interpersonal cognitive distortions, was found to play a full mediator role between both the rejecting attitudes of mothers and fathers, the controlling attitudes of mothers, and the social anxiety levels of adolescents. The results showed that interpersonal cognitive distortions played a mediating role in the relationship between perceived negative parental attitudes and adolescents’ social anxiety levels. This study is one of the few studies that examines the relationship between parental attitudes and social anxiety levels in the adolescent age group in terms of the mediating effects of cognitive distortions. It is thought that our results are important for understanding the nature of social anxiety disorder and its treatment approach.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or non-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Sivas Cumhuriyet University Medicine Faculty, Sivas, Turkey

    Ozlem Sireli

  2. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Freelance Physician, Izmir, Turkey

    Mehmet Colak

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  1. Ozlem Sireli
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Contributions

Sireli O and Colak M conceptualised and designed the study, collected the data. Sireli O wrote the article. Colak M supervised the study and helped in the writing of the article. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ozlem Sireli.

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Ethical approval

The ethics committee approval of the study was received by Mugla Sitki Kocman University Health Sciences Ethics Committee on 23.01.2021.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study, their parents, and legal guardians.

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Sireli, O., Colak, M. The relationship between adolescents’ social anxiety level and parental acceptance-rejection and control: the mediating role of ınterpersonal cognitive distortions. Curr Psychol 43, 15202–15212 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05488-y

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