Adolescent Safety Behaviors and Social Anxiety: Links to Psychosocial Impairments and Functioning with Unfamiliar Peer Confederates

Socially anxious adolescents often endure anxiety-provoking situations using safety behaviors: strategies for minimizing in-the-moment distress (e.g., avoiding eye contact, rehearsing statements before entering a conversation). Studies linking safety behaviors to impaired functioning have largely focused on adults. In a sample of one hundred thirty-four 14 to 15 year-old adolescents, we tested whether levels of safety behaviors among socially anxious adolescents relate to multiple domains of impaired functioning. Adolescents, parents, and research personnel completed survey measures of safety behaviors and social anxiety, adolescents and parents reported about adolescents’ evaluative fears and psychosocial impairments, and adolescents participated in a set of tasks designed to simulate social interactions with same-age, unfamiliar peers. Relative to other adolescents in the sample, adolescents high on both safety behaviors and social anxiety displayed greater psychosocial impairments, evaluative fears, and observed social skills deficits within social interactions. These findings have important implications for assessing and treating adolescent social anxiety.

Suicidality in individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome: a review of registry survey data

Introduction Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare, genetic, neurodevelopmental syndrome associated with hyperphagia and early onset obesity, growth and sex hormone insufficiencies, mild-to-moderate intellectual disability, and behavioral challenges such as compulsivity, anxiety, skin picking, social skills deficits and temper outbursts. Given high rates of psychiatric comorbidity and potential risk factors for suicide in PWS, this study sought a first estimate of the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) and attempts (SA) in the PWS population and any characteristics associated with suicidality in this population. Methods Using the Global Prader-Willi Syndrome Registry, we included all participants who had answered a question about SI. We examined the most recent data from the surveys about social, economic, and demographic factors, genetic subtype, and psychiatric symptoms and treatments. A chi-square analysis was used to compare registry participants who reported SI to those without reported SI. Results From 750 included survey respondents, 94 (12.5%) endorsed some history of SI. Of these, 25 (26.6%) also reported a history of SA, with an average age of 16.25 years at their first attempt. Those with a history of SI were predominantly male and adult age, and had higher rates of aggression and psychiatric comorbidities, therapies, and medications. Conclusions This study indicates that the rate of SI and SA in PWS is comparable to the general population, and that suicide attempts in PWS typically begin in middle-teenage years. Despite unique challenges, individuals with PWS and their caregivers should be included in screens and psychoeducation for suicide and mental health concerns.

Suicidality In Individuals With Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Review of Registry Survey Data

BACKGROUND: Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare, genetic, neurodevelopmental syndrome associated with hyperphagia and early onset obesity, growth and sex hormone insufficiencies, mild-to-moderate intellectual disability, and behavioral challenges such as compulsivity, anxiety, skin picking, social skills deficits and temper outbursts. Given high rates of psychiatric comorbidity and potential risk factors for suicide in PWS, this study sought a first estimate of the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) and attempts (SA) in the PWS population and any characteristics associated with suicidality in this population. METHODS: Using the Global Prader-Willi Syndrome Registry, we included all participants who had answered a question about SI. We examined the most recent data from the surveys about social, economic, and demographic factors, genetic subtype, and psychiatric symptoms and treatments. A chi-square analysis was used to compare registry participants who reported SI to those without reported SI. RESULTS: From 750 included survey respondents, 94 (12.5%) endorsed some history of SI. Of these, 25 (26.6%) also reported a history of SA, with an average age of 16.25 years at their first attempt. Those with a history of SI were predominantly male and adult age, and had higher rates of aggression and psychiatric comorbidities, therapies, and medications. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the rate of SI and SA in PWS is comparable to the general population, and that suicide attempts in PWS typically begin in middle-teenage years. Despite unique challenges, individuals with PWS and their caregivers should be included in screens and psychoeducation for suicide and mental health concerns.

Suicidality in Individuals With Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Review of Registry Survey Data

BACKGROUND: Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare, genetic, neurodevelopmental syndrome associated with hyperphagia and early onset obesity, growth and sex hormone insufficiencies, mild-to-moderate intellectual disability, and behavioral challenges such as compulsivity, anxiety, skin picking, social skills deficits and temper outbursts. Given high rates of psychiatric comorbidity and potential risk factors for suicide in PWS, this study sought a first estimate of the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) and attempts (SA) in the PWS population and any characteristics associated with suicidality in this population. METHODS: Using the Global Prader-Willi Syndrome Registry, we included all participants who had answered a question about SI. We examined the most recent data from the surveys about social, economic, and demographic factors, genetic subtype, and psychiatric symptoms and treatments. A chi-square analysis was used to compare registry participants who reported SI to those without reported SI. RESULTS: From 750 included survey respondents, 94 (12.5%) endorsed some history of SI. Of these, 25 (26.6%) also reported a history of SA, with an average age of 16.25 years at their first attempt. Those with a history of SI were predominantly male and adult age, and had higher rates of aggression and psychiatric comorbidities, therapies, and medications. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the rate of SI and SA in PWS is comparable to the general population, and that suicide attempts in PWS typically begin in middle-teenage years. Despite unique challenges, individuals with PWS and their caregivers should be included in screens and psychoeducation for suicide and mental health concerns.

Social Media Use in Emerging Adults: Investigating the Relationship With Social Media Addiction and Social Behavior

In the 21st century, use of online communication has skyrocketed, and this is particularly true for young people who have grown up in the age of the smartphone. In the world of online communication, adolescents and young adults especially seem to gravitate toward social media. The present study examined a mediational model wherein social media use in emerging adults predicts social media addiction through altered social behaviors, including face-to-face interactions, communication apprehension, and social skill deficits. More than 100 undergraduate students reported on their social media use and social behaviors via an online questionnaire. Contrary to expectations, social media use was only significantly correlated with social skills deficits, r(108) = .204, p = .017, and social media addiction, r(108) = .495, p < .001. Face-to-face interactions, communication apprehension, and social skills deficits did not function as mediators of the relationship between social media use and addiction and had no significant correlations with social media addiction. A modified mediation model is proposed, wherein impoverished face-to-face behavior and communication apprehension predict social skills deficits and those deficits predict social media addiction only when social media use is high.

Strengthening positive social pathways via digital social applications in individuals with social skills deficits: A scoping review

Background: Effective digital social capital interventions have great potential to establish trusted social pathways to access supportive services and to enable talking about issues contributing to distress. Aim: This review explores the digital social capital interventions used in individuals with social skills deficits, and the best social health outcomes achieved. Method: Four databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsychINFO, and Web of Science) were used with no time limitation, and 33 papers were included. Results: A diverse range of digital social programs was used for social capital improvement based on individuals’ characteristics (e.g. age range and illnesses). Programs ranged from digitally-enhanced self-help or self-guided treatment (to enhance the self-efficacy of individuals), to group treatments and/or web-based caregiver support services. They comprised mobile social apps, video blogging, video-communication system/video-conferencing, and online social communication, to more advanced techniques such as virtual reality. All of these modalities were shown to be beneficial for improving the social health of individuals. Interventions targeted two aspects of social capital: (1) cognitive social capital, focusing on enhancing trust and control, self-efficacy on life. Some examples were cognitive behavioural therapy, and increasing the received and more importantly perceived social support. (2) structural social capital, focusing on individuals’ relationships with family/carers, friends, peers to other connections at the macro level, such as health care providers and their community as a whole. The two interconnected aspects of social capital play a role in decreasing fears of being judged by others, general fears in social interactions and interpersonal problems. Conclusion: Guided digital social support interventions result in open and flexible access to various resources through supportive social networks, for patients and their family members/carers.

Impaired Social Skills as a Key Component of Clinical Depression: Associations with Severity of Illness, Self-Esteem, Family Functional Health Satisfaction, and Personality Features

Background: Social skills deficits are present in 43.3% of major depressed patients and significantly impact health-related quality of life. However, studies concerning social deficits as state-dependent markers of depression are limited. Objective: To delineate the effects of severity of depression, personality characteristics, family support satisfaction and self-esteem on social skills in clinical depression. Methods: We recruited 150 patients with major depressive disorder or persistent depressive disorder and assessed 1) Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), 2) Social Skill Inventory (SSI), 3) Family Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, Resolve (APGAR) Questionnaire 4) Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and 5) Maudsley Personal Inventory (MPI). Results: Social skills deficits were significantly associated with female gender, age &lt; 40 years, depression severity, introvert / neurotic personality, and lowered family support satisfaction and self-esteem. A large part of the variance (47.2%) in social skills deficits was predicted by satisfaction of family support, introvert personality, and low self-esteem. Exploratory Factor Analysis showed that a bifactorial model best fitted the data with a) a general factor loading highly on BDI-II, SSI emotional and social, APGAR, RSES, MPI_introvert and MPI_neurotic scores, and b) a single-group factor loading on both SSI, RSES, and MPI introvert scores. Conclusion: In clinical depression, social skills deficits covary with increasing severity of depression and thus constitute a state marker of depression, and independently from severity of depression covary with introvert personality features. As such, remission of social skills deficits may emerge as a novel objective for the treatment of depression and prevention of new episodes.

The Development of a Social Skills Scale for Adolescents

The main purpose of the study was to develop an indigenous tool to find out the level and nature of social skills in adolescents. Initially, a pool of 32 items was generated after interviewing 20 participants (both girls and boys). It was reduced later to 25 items excluding repetitions. These 25 items about social skills were administered on 20 new participants as a self-report measure on a 4-point rating scale. Moreover, one item considered ambiguous by participants was dropped and a final list of 24 items was given to 300 girls (50%) and boys (50%; M= 14.9 & SD= 1.07) along with Demographic Proforma and School Children Problem Scale (Saleem & Mahmood, 2011). The sample for the study was selected from government schools using stratified random sampling technique. Exploratory factor analysis revealed three factor solutions which were labelled according to their emerging themes like Getting Along Skills, Social Attributes and the Friendship Skills. The inter scale correlation ranged between (r=.66-.86) and alpha co-efficient showed high reliability (α .80). The tool can be used by school psychologists in assessing and training children with social skills deficits.