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Published on: December 7, 2018
Social information processing in children: specific relations to anxiety, depression, and affect
Aaron M Luebbe1, Debora J Bell, Maureen A Allwood
1Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, USA. AML5F5@mail.mizzou.edu
Summary
Social information processing (SIP) uniquely predicts youth anxiety and depression. Negative SIP links to both, while low positive SIP predicts depression, even when accounting for trait affect.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Internalizing symptoms like anxiety and depression are prevalent in youth.
- Social information processing (SIP) is a key cognitive mechanism potentially influencing emotional well-being.
- The interplay between trait affect and SIP in predicting internalizing symptoms requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the shared and unique contributions of social information processing (SIP) to anxious and depressive symptoms in youth.
- To determine if SIP explains unique variance in internalizing symptoms beyond trait affect.
- To investigate the mediating role of SIP in the relationship between affect and internalizing symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Two studies involving 215 and 127 youth (ages 8-13) were conducted.
- Participants completed measures of anxiety, depression, trait affect, and a vignette-based interview assessing SIP.
- Statistical analyses examined the relationships between SIP, affect, and internalizing symptoms, including mediation analyses.
Main Results:
- Both anxiety and depression were associated with negative SIP styles.
- Negative SIP uniquely predicted both anxiety and depression, even after controlling for negative affect.
- Low positive SIP uniquely predicted depression beyond positive affect.
- SIP functioning partially mediated the link between affect and internalizing symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Social information processing is a significant factor in the development and maintenance of youth internalizing symptoms.
- Cognitive biases in SIP contribute to anxiety and depression in youth, independent of underlying affective traits.
- Interventions targeting SIP may be beneficial for reducing internalizing symptoms in young populations.
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