Background
Have you ever feared public speaking or making friends in a new group? You’re not alone. Social anxiety disorder affects an estimated 5%-10% of the world and is the third most common disorder, behind substance use and depression. Prior research has shown that individuals fear negative social evaluation from others and often see social interactions as threatening, rather than positive. Social anxiety can undermine one’s own positive sense of self.
The Study
A research team in India investigated the effects on mindfulness to manage social fear avoidance and promote well-being in first-year female undergraduates. A sample of 821 students completed a survey that assessed anxiety, mindfulness, self-compassion, and well-being. Correlational data was used to better understand how mindfulness mediates, or changes the power of the relationship between social fear and self-compassion.
The Results
The study found that mindfulness attenuates social fear, including the tendency to avoid social situations. These results also support that the amount of self-reported mindfulness mediates the effect of self-compassion’s effects on social fear. Furthermore, mindfulness and social fear together impacted the effect of self-compassion on social avoidance. Together, the study indicates that the two components of social anxiety, social fear and social avoidance, are distinct constructs. Furthermore, the study supports that mindfulness mediates the impact of self-compassion on social fear. Although this study is limited to a specific population, it enriches the discussion of what cognitive-behavioral strategies might help those individuals struggling with social anxiety.