Those with strong, supportive relationships often report lower levels of social anxiety, as they feel more secure and accepted in social situations. Conversely, individuals who lack a robust support system may experience heightened anxiety due to feelings of isolation and fear of negative evaluation.
Developing social skills and building areliable support networkcan be crucial formanaging social anxiety. Improving communication abilities, assertiveness, and emotional expression can help individuals navigate social interactions more confidently and effectively.
Moreover, having trusted friends, family members, or a therapist to provide encouragement, validation, and a safe space to practice social skills can be invaluable in reducing anxiety and fostering a sense of belonging.
Key Points
Rationale
Social anxiety is one of the most common anxiety disorders (Kessler et al., 2012) and has been linked to lower perceived social support (Calsyn et al., 2005; Davidson et al., 1994; Torgrud et al., 2004).
While the size of one’s social network influences perceived social support, other factors like satisfaction with available support matter more (Sarason et al., 1983).
Among women in relationships, self-disclosure helps explain the social anxiety-perceived support link (Cuming & Rapee, 2010), suggesting interpersonal communication plays a role.
However, more research is needed on how communication styles impact the relationship between social anxiety and perceived support, and potential gender differences.
Previous studies found socially anxious individuals are less emotionally expressive and assertive (Davila & Beck, 2002; Turk et al., 2005).
Gender differences also exist in social anxiety, communication, and social support. Women have higher rates of social anxiety (Asher et al., 2017) and are more expressive and polite, while men are more assertive and verbally aggressive (Basow & Rubenfeld, 2003).
Women tend to provide, receive (Neff & Karney, 2005), and perceive more social support than men (Kendler et al., 2005).
Building on this research, the current study examined six communication styles as mediators between social anxiety and perceived social support among men and women.
Understanding these relationships could inform interventions to help socially anxious individuals harness communication skills to increase perceived support.
Method
This study explored relationships between social anxiety, perceived social support, and six communication styles (expressiveness, preciseness, verbal aggressiveness, questioningness, emotionality, and impression manipulativeness) among college students.
It also examined gender differences in these variables and whether communication styles mediated the link between social anxiety and perceived social support differently for men and women.
Procedure
Participants completed an online survey with measures of social anxiety, communication styles, and perceived social support. The order of the measures was randomized.
Sample
813 psychology students (233 men, 580 women) at a large southern U.S. university participated. They ranged in age from 18-30 (M=20.56 years).
The sample was 52.8% White, 16.5% Black, 19.7% Hispanic, 8% Asian, and 3.1% other ethnicities.
Measures
Statistical Analysis
Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and independent t-tests compared men and women.
Multiple mediation models using PROCESS tested communication styles as mediators between social anxiety and perceived support, separately for men and women.
Results
As hypothesized, social anxiety was associated with lower perceived social support (H1).
For both genders, social anxiety was related to lower perceived support through lower expressiveness (H2).
Social anxiety was linked to lower support through higher emotionality for women only (H3).
Insights
This study highlights that the way socially anxious individuals communicate influences their perceptions of available support.
While prior research found self-disclosure impacted the social anxiety-perceived support link just for women (Cuming & Rapee, 2010), the current study showed that for both genders, being less expressive and contributing less to conversations explained some of the relationship.
The gender-specific mediators align with research on gender norms in communication. For men, conveying ideas precisely and substantively seems important for feeling supported and fitting masculine norms around clear, outcome-focused communication (Mulac et al., 2001).
For women, lower verbal aggressiveness or a lack of assertiveness to marshal support when needed mediated the link, perhaps reflecting expectations for women to be less direct (Palomares, 2009).
Higher emotionality also played a role for women, suggesting that socially anxious women feel their sensitivity and emotional expressiveness could burden others and reduce support.
Future research could incorporate third-party observations of communication and longitudinal designs to clarify causal relationships.
Strengths
This study had several strengths, including:
Limitations
This study also had several limitations, including:
Implications
The findings suggest that psychotherapy for social anxiety could incorporate communication skills training to help individuals develop tools to increase their perception of social support.
With social anxiety one of the most prevalent disorders, better understanding its interpersonal effects and the role of communication could substantially improve sufferers’ relational experiences and mental health.
However, more research in representative samples using observational methods is needed to establish causal links and inform interventions.
References
Primary reference
Barnett, M. D., Maciel, I. V., Johnson, D. M., & Ciepluch, I. (2021). Social anxiety and perceived social support: Gender differences and the mediating role of communication styles.Psychological Reports,124(1), 70-87.https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294119900975
Other references
Asher, M., Asnaani, A., & Aderka, I. M. (2017). Gender differences in social anxiety disorder: A review.Clinical psychology review,56, 1-12.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.05.004
Calsyn, R. J., Winter, J. P., & Burger, G. K. (2005). The relationship between social anxiety and social support in adolescents: A test of competing causal models.Adolescence,40(157), 103.
Cuming, S., & Rapee, R. M. (2010). Social anxiety and self-protective communication style in close relationships.Behaviour Research and Therapy,48(2), 87-96.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2009.09.010
Davila, J., & Beck, J. G. (2002). Is social anxiety associated with impairment in close relationships? A preliminary investigation.Behavior Therapy,33(3), 427-446.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(02)80037-5
Kessler, R. C., Petukhova, M., Sampson, N. A., Zaslavsky, A. M., & Wittchen, H. U. (2012). Twelve‐month and lifetime prevalence and lifetime morbid risk of anxiety and mood disorders in the United States.International journal of methods in psychiatric research,21(3), 169-184.https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1359
Sarason, I. G., Levine, H. M., Basham, R. B., & Sarason, B. R. (1983). Assessing social support: the social support questionnaire.Journal of personality and social psychology,44(1), 127.https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.44.1.127
Keep Learning
Here are some potential discussion questions for a college class on this paper:
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
