The relational context of social anxiety: An examination of the adolescent Latino perspective

Relatively little is known about the relational and cultural contexts of youth with social anxiety problems. A triad of relational domains (Communication, Parental Overprotection, Affective Expression) appears to be crucial to family system functioning and may contribute to a deeper understanding of this mental health concern. The purpose of the study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of the relational dynamics that exist within families of socially anxious adolescents, particularly those within the Hispanic/Latino community. Participation (n = 248) followed a group administration format during one class period at a local inner-city high school. Students completed a demographics sheet, a measure of social anxiety (the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents), and two relational measures (the Family Assessment Measure Version III - General Scale and the Parental Bonding Instrument). Analysis of the data revealed that Overprotection was the primary predictor of social anxiety and was more strongly related to two social anxiety subtypes: fear of negative evaluation and social avoidance/distress in new situations. Of the three relational domains, Overprotection was also the most effective at discriminating between anxious and non-anxious participants. Affective Expression was more strongly associated with a third subtype (i.e. social avoidance/distress in general) and demonstrated a moderate ability to distinguish between anxious/non-anxious groups. A hypothesized relationship between Communication and social anxiety was not supported. Results also showed that higher social anxiety scores were associated with two acculturation variables (i.e. living fewer than five years in the United States and preferred language), supporting the notion of an acculturative stress influence. No gender differences were observed in the reported rates of social anxiety. Potential limitations to the study are discussed and include the difficulties in the assessment of communicative behaviors. Recommendations for future research are made and include the consideration of formal acculturative stress measures in order to examine the unique effects of social anxiety and acculturation. Use of interactional procedures, longitudinal studies, and multiple report techniques are also encouraged.