The Nature and Extent of Social Anxiety and Avoidance in Patients with Chronic Pain

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-72
Author(s):  
Renée F. Seebeck ◽  
Malcolm H. Johnson ◽  
Ross A. Flett
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Social Distress ◽  
Chronic Pain Patients ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
Pain Patients

The present study explored the nature and extent of social anxiety and avoidance, anxiety sensitivity, and pain-related anxiety and avoidance in 46 clinic-referred chronic pain patients, compared with a community-based group reporting pain (n = 66) and healthy controls (n = 57). The chronic pain patients consistently reported higher levels of social distress, social avoidance, fear of negative evaluation, anxiety sensitivity, and pain-related anxiety and avoidance as compared with controls. Group differences in social distress, social avoidance, fear of negative evaluation, pain-related cognitive anxiety, and fear of cognitive and emotional dyscontrol, remained stable when pain severity was controlled for. Anxiety sensitivity was strongly related to both social and pain-related fears. The source of these social fears is examined in relation to the elevated pain-related fear and anxiety sensitivity also exhibited by chronic pain patients, and implications for treatment and rehabilitation are discussed.

Characteristics and consequences of the co-occurrence between social anxiety and pain-related fear in chronic pain patients receiving multimodal pain rehabilitation treatment

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matilda Wurm ◽  
Sara Edlund ◽  
Maria Tillfors ◽  
Katja Boersma
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Pain Treatment ◽  
Vulnerability Factors ◽  
Treatment Results ◽  
Chronic Pain Patients ◽  
Emotional Vulnerability ◽  
Multimodal Pain Treatment ◽  
Pain Patients

AbstractBackground and aimsChronic pain problems are related to specific pain related fears and maladaptive pain-coping but also commonly co-occur with other anxiety problems. Shared emotional vulnerability factors may explain this comorbidity and may influence treatment outcome. Indeed, pain patients going through multimodal pain treatment are a heterogeneous group and treatment results vary. One understudied anxiety disorder co-occurring with pain is social anxiety. This may be relevant as many pain-related challenges are situated in social contexts. The aim of this study is to investigate the occurrence of subgroups with differential patterns of social anxiety and pain related fear in a sample of chronic pain patients who receive multimodal pain treatment. The aim is also to study the characteristics of these potential subgroups and the consequences of different patterns of social anxiety and pain related fear.Methods180 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain answered questionnaires before and after a multimodal pain treatment in a hospital rehabilitation setting in middle Sweden. A cluster analysis using pre-treatment scores on the Social Phobia Screening Questionnaire and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia was performed. Subgroups were thereafter validated and compared on impairment due to social anxiety, pain catastrophizing, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, subgroups were described and compared on vulnerability factors (anxiety sensitivity, negative affect) and outcome factors (pain intensity, pain interference, and return to work self-efficacy).ResultsFour distinct clusters emerged: (1) low scores, (2) pain-related fear only, (3) social concern only, and (4) high social anxiety and pain-related fear. Patients high on social anxiety and pain-related fear had significantly higher levels of anxiety sensitivity, negative affect, and higher general emotional symptomatology. They also had remaining problems posttreatment.ConclusionsA subgroup of patients with clinical levels of social anxiety has suboptimal rehabilitation results, with residual emotional problems and high levels of emotional vulnerability.ImplicationsThese patients may be in need of additional treatment efforts that are not being met today. To prevent insufficient treatment results and prolonged work disability, these patients need to be detected during screening and may benefit from pain treatment that takes their emotional problems into account.

A Comparison of Freshmen and Upper Division Students' Preferences for Small and Large Psychology Classes

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elysa Feigenbaum ◽  
Ronald Friend
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Work Load ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Academic Experience ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Large Class Size ◽  
Essay Exams

Contrary to the commonly held view, we hypothesized that freshmen would prefer small classes and that upper division students would prefer large classes. Twenty freshmen and 20 upper division students rated their preferences for 16 class structures, which varied on combinations of four variables: small or large class size, multiple-choice or essay exams, heavy or moderate work load, and average class grade of B or C. Subjects also filled out the Watson and Friend (1969) Social Avoidance and Distress (SAD) and Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) Scales as control variables. Finally, upper division students identified and rated the size of psychology classes they had taken. Results support our prediction: Freshmen prefer small classes, and upper division students prefer large classes. Moreover, upper division students with greater experience of large classes report stronger preferences for them. Gender and social anxiety do not affect these findings. We discuss these results as well as the need for longitudinal investigations of the effects of academic experience on personal and intellectual development in university students.

scholarly journals Social Anxiety And Perfectionism In Young People Who Stutter

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-58
Author(s):  
E.N. Gorshkova ◽  
S.V. Volikova
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Young People ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Speech Pathology ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Maladaptive Perfectionism ◽  
High Standards ◽  
Experimental Group

The purpose of the present research was to screen for social anxiety and perfectionism among young people who stutter (PWS). Participants included 71 PWS and 51 normally-fluent controls. Young PWS were characterized by significantly higher rates of social anxiety, which involved social distress, social avoidance and fear of negative evaluation. The rate of perfectionism in experimental group equated the severity of maladaptive perfectionism in patients with anxiety disorders. PWS tend to interpret others as imposing unrealistically high standards and re- quirements on them and critically evaluating their actions. They constantly select negative information, failures and mistakes, depreciating and not noticing their own achievements and successes. They are inclined to dichotomous and polarized thinking (of “all or nothing” type). Severity of stuttering in young people is associated with social anxiety and perfectionism. The results of present study evidence the need to highlight significant social anxiety and maladaptive perfectionism in PWS as targets of psychotherapy. We express gratitude to Khavanov A.Yu., Head of the Department of Logoneurosis of «Center of Speech Pathology and Neurorehabilitation — Moscow Department of Healthcare», and his colleagues (Geras’kin A.A., Bogdanov M.A.) for their help in research conduction.

scholarly journals Emotional and Motivational Pain Processing: Current State of Knowledge and Perspectives in Translational Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Becker ◽  
Edita Navratilova ◽  
Frauke Nees ◽  
Stefaan Van Damme
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Pain Processing ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Current State ◽  
Chronic Pain Patients ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
Chronic Pain Conditions ◽  
Pain Patients

Pain elicits fear and anxiety and promotes escape, avoidance, and adaptive behaviors that are essential for survival. When pain persists, motivational priority and attention shift to pain-related information. Such a shift often results in impaired functionality, leading to maladaptive pain-related fear and anxiety and escape and avoidance behaviors. Neuroimaging studies in chronic pain patients have established that brain activity, especially in cortical and mesolimbic regions, is different from activity observed during acute pain in control subjects. In this review, we discuss the psychophysiological and neuronal factors that may be associated with the transition to chronic pain. We review information from human studies on neural circuits involved in emotional and motivational pain processing and how these circuits are altered in chronic pain conditions. We then highlight findings from animal research that can increase our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying emotional-motivational pain processing in the brain. Finally, we discuss how translational approaches incorporating results from both human and animal investigations may aid in accelerating the discovery of therapies.

Anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity independently predict opioid misuse and dependence in chronic pain patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 294 ◽  
pp. 113523
Author(s):  
Tanya Smit ◽  
Andrew H. Rogers ◽  
Lorra Garey ◽  
Nicholas P. Allan ◽  
Andres G. Viana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Opioid Misuse ◽  
Chronic Pain Patients ◽  
Pain Patients

Symptom Accommodation Related to Social Anxiety Symptoms in Adults: Phenomenology, Correlates, and Impairment

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayana Joogoolsingh ◽  
Monica S. Wu ◽  
Adam B. Lewin ◽  
Eric A. Storch
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Anxiety Symptom ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
General Anxiety

Background and Objectives: Socially anxious individuals often engage in various safety and avoidant behaviors to temporarily decrease distress. Similarly, friends or family members may engage in accommodating behaviors, commonly manifesting through the facilitation of avoidance, completion of tasks, or schedule modifications. Studies examining symptom accommodation in adult social anxiety are lacking, so this study seeks to better understand symptom accommodation and its consequent impairment in socially anxious adults. Design and Methods: There were 380 undergraduate students who completed a battery of self-report questionnaires through an online system. Constructs assessed include social anxiety, symptom accommodation, and impairment as well as related variables such as general anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, alcohol use, and anxiety sensitivity. Results: Symptom accommodation was positively correlated with social anxiety symptoms, functional impairment, general anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, and alcohol use. Individuals with considerable social anxiety reported significantly higher levels of symptom accommodation than individuals who reported lower levels of social anxiety. Anxiety sensitivity predicted symptom accommodation beyond the contribution of social anxiety. Symptom accommodation mediated the relationship between social anxiety and impairment. Conclusions: These data help elucidate the presentation and impact of symptom accommodation related to social anxiety. Implications for assessment, treatment, and future directions are presented.

scholarly journals Χρήση του διαδικτύου: Κοινωνικό άγχος και δυσλειτουργικές γνωσίες στην εφηβεία και την αναδυόμενη ενηλικίωση

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Δέσποινα-Δήμητρα Ρήγα ◽  
Αικατερίνη Γκάρη
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Need To Belong ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Collective Self ◽  
Collective Self Esteem ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this study was to explore the associations of Internet dysfunctional use with social anxiety, the need to belong, collective self-esteem and demographic factors in a sample of 974 adolescents and emerging adults, aged 12-19 years. The following questionnaires were used: The Generalized Pathological Internet Use Scale (Caplan, 2002), the Greek Problematic Internet Use Scale (Roussos & Delizisi, 2011), the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (La Greca & Lopez, 1998), the Need to Belong Scale (Leary et al., 2013), an adapted version of the Collective Self-Esteem Scale (Luhtanen & Crocken, 1992), and an additional set of demographic questions including quantitative and qualitative aspects of Internet use. Dysfunctional Internet use was found to correlate significantly with social anxiety. Maladaptive cognitions were associated with social avoidance. Also, mood alteration correlated with the fear of negative evaluation. The exploration of alternative structural equation models showed that the main predictors of dysfunctional Internet use were the fear of negative evaluation and social avoidance. The need to belong mediated the relationship between the two social anxiety dimensions and dysfunctional cognitions. Additionally, collective self-esteem mediated the relationship between the two social anxiety dimensions and mood alteration. The findings of the study highlight the need to further examine Internet use in relation to social psychological relational factors.

scholarly journals Cognitive Risk Factors Predicting Social Anxiety among Indonesian Adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Salis Yuniardi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cognitive Risk ◽  
Cognitive Risk Factors

Social anxiety is the third largest mental problem over the world, but no study has investigated cognitive risk factors predicting social anxiety among Indonesian adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the role of fear of negative evaluation, anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty in predicting their social anxiety. There were 162 senior high school students completed the paper and pencil questionnaire. Regression analyses was utilised in order to examine the relative contributions, being followed by moderation analyses in order to investigate any possible interaction among the risk factors examined. The result reveals that the contribution of fear of negative evaluation and anxiety sensitivity were significant, but the former was dominant. In addition, there was interaction between them where decreasing the effect of each other. Interestingly, intolerance of uncertainty did not contribute significantly to the model.

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