Evaluation of Lynch’s transdiagnostic model for internalizing disorders regarding social phobia: Structural equation modeling

Lynch’s model is a new transdiagnostic model that explains the development of internalizing disorders. The present study has examined essential parts of this model regarding social phobia as an internalizing disorder. 

In this study, 521 students were recruited from three universities (Tehran University, Shahed University, and Islamic Azad University-Tehran Medical Branch) in the academic year of 2015-2016 using the convenience sampling method. They responded to the Social Phobia Inventory, Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (maladjusted perfectionism subscales), Ambivalence over Expression of emotion Questionnaire, Social Safeness and Pleasure Scale and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Data analyzed through structural equation modeling, SPSS-22, and AMOS-22 software. 

The model showed good fit ( : 2.9, RMSEA: 0.06, CFI: 0.98, GFI: 0.98, AGFI: 0.96). According to the results, over-controlling coping style (including over-perfectionism, emotional ambivalence, interpersonal problems and lack of social safeness) mediates the relationship between parental perfectionism and social phobia (indirect effect of parental perfectionism on social phobia via over controlling: 0.35, p < /em>< 0.001). 

It seems that Lynch’s transdiagnostic model for internalizing disorders got support regarding social phobia. Accordingly, the parental maladaptive perfectionism leads to an over-controlling coping style. This coping style, in turn, leads to social phobia.