Social interaction anxiety among university students: The role of risk and protective factors


Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Eğitim Fakültesi, Eğitim Bilimleri Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2018

Öğrenci: AYŞE IRKÖRÜCÜ KÜÇÜK

Danışman: OYA GÜNERİ

Özet:

The present study aimed to test a proposed model investigating the role of cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, rumination, and anxiety sensitivity in predicting social interaction anxiety through the indirect effect of mindfulness and experiential avoidance. A total of 645 (296 female, 349 male) undergraduate students participated in the study. Data collection instruments were the Demographic Information Form, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, The Ruminative Response Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II and Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale. The SEM analysis revealed that the tested model significantly predicted social interaction anxiety of undergraduate students. In relation to direct effects, the relationships between cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, and anxiety sensitivity to social interaction anxiety were found significant; while rumination did not predict social interaction anxiety. The findings showed that expressive suppression, rumination, anxiety sensitivity had a positive relationship with social interaction anxiety through the indirect effect of mindfulness; while cognitive reappraisal did not show significant results on social interaction anxiety through the indirect effect of mindfulness. Experiential avoidance had significant indirect effects on the relationhsips between social interaction anxiety and cognitive reappraisal, rumination, and anxiety sensitivity; while expressive suppression did not indicate any significant relationship. The findings of the study showed that the proposed model explained 36% of the variance in social interaction anxiety among undergraduate students.