Prediction of Social Anxiety Symptoms Based on Cognitive-Attentional Syndrome Mediated by Emotional Awareness in Adolescent Girls in Isfahan

Social anxiety disorder is a common psychological disorder among adolescents that leads to impairments in their personal, academic, and social functioning. Therefore, this study aimed to predict social anxiety symptoms based on cognitive-attentional syndrome, considering the mediating role of emotional awareness in adolescents in the city of Isfahan.

Methods and Materials:

This research was a descriptive-correlational study in the field of structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all female adolescents in the city of Isfahan, aged 12 to 18 years, with a sample size of 334 selected through convenience sampling. Participants completed the research questionnaires, including the Social Anxiety Questionnaire by Jerabak (1996), the Cognitive-Attentional Syndrome Questionnaire by Wells (2009), and the Emotional Awareness Questionnaire (EAQ-30) by Rieffe et al. (2007). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with SPSS-25 and AMOS-24 software.

Social anxiety symptoms can be predicted based on cognitive-attentional syndrome and emotional awareness (p < 0.05). Additionally, emotional awareness can be predicted based on cognitive-attentional syndrome (p < 0.01). Finally, the findings indicated that emotional awareness could mediate the prediction of social anxiety symptoms based on cognitive-attentional syndrome (p < 0.05).

Emotional awareness and cognitive-attentional syndrome are predictors of social anxiety, with emotional awareness serving as a mediator. This implies that a better understanding of these two variables can assist in the prediction and understanding of social anxiety.