Most children and adolescents are diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) around the same time puberty starts. SAD affects one’s life on a physiological, behavioural, and cognitive level. If...Show moreMost children and adolescents are diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) around the same time puberty starts. SAD affects one’s life on a physiological, behavioural, and cognitive level. If left untreated, it can have a chronic and unremitting course over time. In recent years, little research has been done on the direct relationship between puberty and the development of social anxiety disorder. Furthermore, previous research states that psychopathology such as social anxiety disorder is less apparent in highly intelligent individuals. By examining the relationship between puberty, intelligence, and SAD, suggestions can be made on the theoretical inclusion or exclusion of puberty and intelligence as risk factors for developing SAD. This study aimed to examine the predictability of puberty and intelligence on SAD, with the addition of intelligence as moderator. It was expected that puberty would positively predict signs of SAD, that intelligence would negatively predict signs of SAD, and that intelligence was a significant moderator in the relationship between puberty and signs of SAD, wherein, during puberty, highly intelligent children developed fewer signs of SAD than averagely intelligent children. Children (N= 120, 9-12 years; M age = 11.05, SD = 0.77; 52.5% girl; 44.2% gifted) from different schools in the Netherlands completed the Standard Progressive Raven Matrices, the Pubertal Development Scale, and the social anxiety YAM-5 questionnaires. A hierarchical multiple regression yielded no evidence for the predictability of puberty (p = .282) and intelligence (p = .405) on social anxiety disorder and similarly for intelligence as moderator (p = .542). Future research on the relationship between puberty, intelligence, and SAD should increase the representation of SAD, improve the PDS, and extend the age and intelligence range. In addition, other factors (e.g., biological, behavioural, social, and parental) underlying the development of SAD should be considered.Show less
Most children and adolescents are diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) around the same time puberty starts. SAD affects one’s life on a physiological, behavioural, and cognitive level. If...Show moreMost children and adolescents are diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) around the same time puberty starts. SAD affects one’s life on a physiological, behavioural, and cognitive level. If left untreated, it can have a chronic and unremitting course over time. In recent years, little research has been done on the direct relationship between puberty and the development of social anxiety disorder. Furthermore, previous research states that psychopathology such as social anxiety disorder is less apparent in highly intelligent individuals. By examining the relationship between puberty, intelligence, and SAD, suggestions can be made on the theoretical inclusion or exclusion of puberty and intelligence as risk factors for developing SAD. This study aimed to examine the predictability of puberty and intelligence on SAD, with the addition of intelligence as moderator. It was expected that puberty would positively predict signs of SAD, that intelligence would negatively predict signs of SAD, and that intelligence was a significant moderator in the relationship between puberty and signs of SAD, wherein, during puberty, highly intelligent children developed fewer signs of SAD than averagely intelligent children. Children (N= 120, 9-12 years; M age = 11.05, SD = 0.77; 52.5% girl; 44.2% gifted) from different schools in the Netherlands completed the Standard Progressive Raven Matrices, the Pubertal Development Scale, and the social anxiety YAM-5 questionnaires. A hierarchical multiple regression yielded no evidence for the predictability of puberty (p = .282) and intelligence (p = .405) on social anxiety disorder and similarly for intelligence as moderator (p = .542). Future research on the relationship between puberty, intelligence, and SAD should increase the representation of SAD, improve the PDS, and extend the age and intelligence range. In addition, other factors (e.g., biological, behavioural, social, and parental) underlying the development of SAD should be considered.Show less
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is the most common anxiety disorder among adolescents. In SAD, gender differences are more prominent in adolescence (i.e. a higher prevalence amongst females). As...Show moreSocial anxiety disorder (SAD) is the most common anxiety disorder among adolescents. In SAD, gender differences are more prominent in adolescence (i.e. a higher prevalence amongst females). As research on gender differences in SAD is scarce, it is still unknown why gender differences in SAD exist and why they are more prominent in adolescents. A factor contributing to the development of SAD is attachment, as it contributes to the way individuals explore a social life. Compared to securely attached adolescents, insecurely attached adolescents experience more difficulty dealing with social situations, placing them at risk for SAD signs. Moreover, an insecure attachment is more common in females than in males. Thus, adolescents' attachment might explain the gender differences in the prevalence of SAD. The current cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between gender and SAD signs, with attachment as a mediator. We also explored whether this differed between maternal and paternal attachment. It was expected that (1) gender would predict SAD signs; (2) attachment would predict SAD signs; and (3) attachment would mediate the relationship between gender and SAD signs (i.e. females would be more insecurely attached and would therefore show more SAD signs than males). In total, 116 adolescents aged 9-12 years completed the YAM-5 and IPPA-R to measure their SAD signs and attachment to their parents, respectively. Regression analyses yielded three main findings. First, contrary to our hypotheses, gender did not significantly predict SAD signs (B = .145; p = .126) and adolescents’ attachment to their parents. Second, consistent with our hypotheses, both maternal (B = -.314; p < .001) and paternal attachment (B = -.393; p < .001) significantly predicted SAD signs. Thus, adolescents’ attachment did not mediate the relationship between gender and SAD signs, but directly affected SAD signs. Attachment-based interventions are effective, but future research is needed to examine if these will also be effective for adolescents with SAD. Additionally, paternal attachment significantly predicted SAD signs. Most previous research, however, has solely focused on maternal attachment. This study, therefore, highlights the importance of more father representation in future research regarding attachment.Show less
