Assessment of Social Phobia Based on Self-Efficacy and Cognitive-Emotional Regulation in adolescents

The purpose of this study was to predict social phobia based on self-efficacy and cognitive emotion regulation in adolescents.

The research method was descriptive-correlational and the statistical population included 400 boys in the first level of high school in the city of Pardis during the 2015-2016 semesters. The sample of this study, which was determined using Morgan's table, was 196 students who were randomly selected. Social anxiety inventory by Connor et al. (2000), general self-efficacy scale by Sherer et al. (1982) and cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire by Garnefski, Kraaij & Spinhoven (2001) were used to collected data. Multivariate regression was used to analyze the data.

The results showed that regression coefficient between self-efficacy with social phobia (P <0.01) was negative and significant. Among the cognitive emotion regulation strategies, the regression coefficient for Catastrophization (P <0.01, P = 0.27) and positive reappraisal (P <0.01, β = 0.35) with social phobia were negative and significant.

Self-efficacy beliefs have a significant effect on self-regulation and quality of human performance. As positive reappraisal has a direct impact on appraisals, adolescents can utilize their emotional response to stressful events to improve performance. While adolescents who regard inconvenient events as catastrophic, they may passively take it.