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Low implicit self-esteem and dysfunctional automatic associations in social anxiety disorder
Klaske A Glashouwer1, Maartje S Vroling, Peter J de Jong
1Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. k.a.glashouwer@rug.nl
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|January 10, 2013
Summary
Social anxiety disorder is linked to negative automatic associations with social cues and lower implicit self-esteem. These cognitive patterns may be specific to social anxiety disorder, with gender differences observed in self-esteem correlations.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychopathology
Background:
- Negative automatic associations with self and social cues are hypothesized to be central to social anxiety disorder (SAD).
- Previous research suggests these dysfunctional associations may differentiate SAD from other clinical and non-clinical populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether patients with social anxiety disorder exhibit more dysfunctional automatic associations compared to non-clinical controls and panic disorder patients.
- To explore potential gender differences in the relationship between automatic associations, implicit self-esteem, and social anxiety symptom severity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a single-target Implicit Association Test (Iالت) to assess dysfunctional automatic associations with social cues.
- Employed an Implicit Association Test (Iالت) to measure implicit self-esteem.
- Compared automatic associations and implicit self-esteem across patients with SAD (n=45), panic disorder (n=24), and non-clinical controls (n=45).
Main Results:
- Socially anxious patients demonstrated significantly more dysfunctional automatic associations with social cues than both control groups, indicating a potential specific characteristic of SAD.
- Patients with SAD exhibited lower implicit self-esteem compared to non-clinical controls; panic disorder patients scored intermediately.
- A significant association was found between lower implicit self-esteem and higher social anxiety symptom severity in men, but not in women.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the role of automatic negative associations with social cues in social anxiety disorder.
- Lowered implicit self-esteem is also implicated in the cognitive processes underlying SAD.
- These cognitive mechanisms, including dysfunctional automatic associations and low implicit self-esteem, contribute to a deeper understanding of social anxiety disorder.
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