Navigating the social world: The role of social competence, peer victimisation and friendship quality in the development of social anxiety in childhood - PubMed (original) (raw)

Hannah Pickard et al. J Anxiety Disord. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

Social and communication (SC) difficulties predict increased social anxiety (SA) symptoms in childhood. Peer victimisation and friendship quality are commonly associated with both SC difficulties and SA. Based on this, we tested for a cascade effect of early SC difficulties, peer victimisation and friendship quality on SA in late childhood, using a population-based sample of 8028 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort. Parent-reported data were collected on SC difficulties at age 7 and SA at age 7, 10 and 13. Child-reported data on peer victimisation and friendship quality were collected at age 8. Our results revealed that SC difficulties predict increased negative friendship qualities and peer victimisation. Relational victimisation predicted increased SA symptoms at 13 years old. Neither overt nor relational victimisation mediated the developmental relationship between SC difficulties and SA. Furthermore, friendship quality did not moderate the developmental relationship between SC difficulties and SA. In addition, no sex differences were observed. The evidence demonstrates that peer victimisation and friendship quality do not explain why some children with SC difficulties go on to develop SA. Future research clarifying the complex etiological pathways contributing towards the development of SA in childhood and adolescence is warranted.

Keywords: ALSPAC; Longitudinal; Social and communication difficulties; Social anxiety.

Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

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Figures

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

Conceptual diagram illustrating our (a) mediation and (b) moderation hypotheses. Note. SC = social and communication

Fig. 2

Fig. 2

Illustration of saturated model with correlated latent factors, factor items and error variance. Note. SC = social and communication. Q = question. e = error.

Fig. 3

Fig. 3

Mediation pathway model showing overt and relational victimisation as mediators in the developmental relationship from social and communication difficulties to social anxiety symptoms. Note. SC = social and communication. Standardized beta coefficients and standard errors are reported. All analyses controlled for IQ, SES and social anxiety symptoms at age 7. Bold paths indicate significance*.

Fig. 4

Fig. 4

Moderation pathway model testing whether friendship quality moderates the effect of social and communication difficulties on social anxiety symptoms. Note. SC = social and communication. Standardized beta coefficients and standard errors are reported. All analyses controlled for IQ, SES and social anxiety symptoms at age 7. Bold paths indicate significance*.

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