Date of Award
1-1-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Psychology
First Advisor
Laura Dixon
Second Advisor
John Young
Third Advisor
Andrew Hales
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a chronic, prevalent disorder that is characterized by persistent and marked fear of social situations when there is potential for negative evaluation from others. Although SAD is typically characterized by inhibition and escape behaviors, some research suggests some individuals with SAD display approach-oriented behaviors wherein individuals engage in greater risky behaviors (e.g., aggression, sexual impulsivity, substance use). This approach-oriented presentation appears to have an earlier onset, greater symptoms severity and greater functional impairment. Emotion regulation (ER) is the ability to use strategies to engage in goal directed behavior. ER difficulties have been shown to be associated with the maintenance and severity of SAD and may help explain the circumstances under which individuals with SAD engage in risky behaviors. Therefore, the current study aims to explore emotion regulation difficulties in relation to social anxiety and risk taking. Participants were 168 undergraduate students at the University of Mississippi who completed self-report measures including the Social Phobia Inventory, Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Risky, Impulsive, and Self-Destructive Behavior Questionnaire. Participants also completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task as a behavioral measure of risk-taking propensity. Consistent with prior literature and hypothesis one, results demonstrated that that social anxiety and emotion regulation difficulties were positively correlated. Moderation analyses revealed a significant interaction of emotion dysregulation in the relationship between social anxiety and engagement in risky behavior; however, this was not in the predicted direction. Specifically, higher levels of emotion dysregulation strengthened an inverse association between social anxiety symptoms and engagement in risky behavior, whereas the hypothesis predicted a positive association. Further research is needed to examine potential limitations in this study including research that explores real time assessment of emotion regulation strategies and abilities. Additionally, one potential avenue for future research is the use of other behavioral and self-report measures that assess risk taking propensity that may be more consistent with specific behavioral patterns observed in approach-oriented SAD, such as the Domain-specific Risk-Taking Scale. In the context of the larger literature, this study highlights the need for domain specific behavioral measures of risk taking and the need for studies to investigate factors that contribute to risky behaviors, and in particular, in the context of social situations, among individuals with social anxiety.
Recommended Citation
Sevier, Carey J., "Social Anxiety and Engagement in Risky Behaviors: Exploring the Role of Emotion Regulation" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2771.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2771