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Relationship between Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety: Role of Social Connectedness as a Mediator

Authors:
Relationship between Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety: Role of Social
Connectedness as a Mediator
Mahmooda Fatima, Sadia Niazi, & Saba Ghayas
Department of Psychology,
University of Sargodha,
The present study was designed to investigate the role of social connectedness as a mediator in relation between
self-esteem and social anxiety. A purposive sample of 150 men and 150 women was drawn from Sargodha city.
Urdu translated Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (Fatima, 2014), Urdu Translated Liebowitz Social Anxiety
Scale (Shahid, 2012) and Urdu Translated Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Sardar, 1998), were used to measure
social connectedness, social anxiety and self-esteem respectively. Results revealed that self-esteem positively
and significantly predicted social connectedness and it significantly negatively predicted social anxiety.
Mediation analysis demonstrated that the relationship between self-esteem and social anxiety was fully
mediated by social connectedness. Results also revealed that self-esteem and social connectedness were high in
women than men while level of social anxiety was found to be higher among men as compared to women.
Implications of the research have been discussed.
Keywords: self-esteem, social anxiety, social connectedness, mediation
Self-esteem refers to views and values assigned to self, and
includes individual’s personal feelings toward self that result from
awareness in making judgments on different aspects of the self
(Stryker, 2002). These feelings and their assessments influence the
reactions towards different aspects of life. Terror management
theory proposes that self-esteem plays a vital role in reducing social
anxiety because it performs a buffering role in the life of individuals
(Loudin, Loukas, & Robinson, 2003; Pyszczynski et al., 2004;
Orth, Robins, & Meier, 2009).
People with low self-esteem demonstrate lack of confidence,
uncertainty, and experience negative feelings and maladjustment
more frequently than people with higher self-esteem. Individuals
with low self-esteem usually try to blame others for their failures
rather than taking responsibility for their own actions (Tracy &
Robins, 2003).Ultimately, this results in a tendency to avoid people,
new settings and a general social disconnectedness leading to
increased rates of social anxiety (Biemans, Halteren, Dijk,
Rijckenberg, & Poortinga, 2008). It has been reported that people
with low self-esteem are less friendly with reduced communications
to other people making it possible to develop adequate and close
relationships (e.g., family, friends and romantic relationships), and
are emotionally less expressive, revealing less information about
themselves (Cuming & Rapee, 2010).Social anxiety is a
multidimensional construct, which can arise from discrepancies in
others and one’s own perception about themself.
Studies show that social connectedness is strongly associated
with the level of self-esteem (Ashida & Heaney, 2008). Twenge and
Campbell (2002) reported a negative relation between social
connectedness and levels of anxiety. Social networks and social ties
have positive role in decreasing symptoms of emotional misery
including depression and anxiety, by making individual more
involved in their society (Williams & Galliher, 2006).
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Saba
Ghayas, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of
Sargodha (Pakistan), Email: saba.ghayas3@gmail.com
Relationships and associations with others leads one to a sense of
being a valuable part of society and motivats them towards building
communities, culture and work for the welfare of others (Capon &
Blakely, 2007). Giordano and Lindstorm (2010) suggest that high
level of social connectedness improves physical and psychological
wellbeing. It leads to good relationships with others that provide
social support and satisfaction, which ultimately decreases different
types of psychological problems. Social connectedness is important
for development; individuals feel supported with a sense of
association and connectedness in their surroundings, which is one of
the essential psychological need required for better psychological
development and well-being (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Social
connectedness is negatively linked with anxiety and shields impact
of anxiety, as it creates confidence in individuals to deal with others
and with social settings ultimately reducing their level of anxiety
(Mashek, Stuewig, Furukawa & Tangney, 2006). It has been
recognized that individuals with close social ties and close relations
have protective buffer against anxiety (Stevenson & Zimmerman,
2005).
Lee, Dean and Jung (2008) proposed that social connectedness
plays a significant role of mediator in the relationship between self-
esteem and social anxiety. Research gives idea that people who are
sociable and participate in community will probably take part in
voluntary activities and help other people. Social disconnectedness
create anxiety, individual’s feels uneasiness in social settings and
have a fear of judgment and evaluation. It makes them unable to
move and work legitimately in their community.
According to Biemans et al. (2008), high self-esteem leads
individuals to feel confident and as a result they can effectively deal
with the all the type of situations, ultimately decreasing the chances
of social anxiety. Self-esteem works as a sociometery that provides
an individual with a sense of being loved and appreciated by people.
Therefore, when they feel less valued they feel less socially
connected, which leads to isolation, lonliness and social anxiety.
Previously it is consistently proved that self-esteem and social
connectedness help in decreasing different type of mental health
problems (Dang, 2014; Foster et al., 2017; Lee, Draper, & Lee,
2001).
Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
2017, Vol. 15, No.2, 12-17
Men and women differ in the way they value their self, and
develop and shape relationships. Women compare themselves with
others women more than men and this might reduce their level of
self-esteem (Martinez & Dukes, 1991; Rapee & Spence, 2004;
Sotelo, 2000). On similar lines, girls report larger fears, more
separation anxiety, and elevated levels of generalized anxiety as
compared to men (Angold, 2002). Women twice than men undergo
depression and anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety
disorder, social anxiety disorder, and phobias (Kessler, 1994).
Moller, Fouladi, MaCarthy and Hatch (2003) found women report
higher levels of social connectedness than men. Women and girls
were very likely to describe them as “connected self” including
response to others on their own terms caring and interdependence
(Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, & Tarule, 1986).
Study of Lee and Robins (1998) found that social connectedness
is positively correlated with self-esteem and negatively correlated
with anxiety. Moreover their findings revealed that same
relationships were found among men and women. The present study
aimed at exploring relationship between self-esteem and social
anxiety and furthermore the mediating role of social connectedness.
In Pakistan, a large number of researches have been directed on
aforementioned variables i.e., role of self-esteem in producing
social anxiety in adolescents (Bano, et al., 2013), self-esteem of
students and their perception of teacher behaviour (Ismail &
Majeed, 2011), relationship of low self-esteem deficits with
tendency to suicide (Rizwan, 2010), level of anxiety in high school
students (Deb, Chatterjee, & Walsh, 2010). However, these
variables are not studied in combination. Also studies on self-
esteem, social anxiety and social connectedness have been
conducted (Bano & Ahmad, 2013; Ismail & Majeed, 2011; Rizwan,
2010), however all previous studies explored only direct effect of
variables on the social anxiety but not an indirect effect. Keeping
this in view the present research aims to investigate these variables
in combination and relationship between them.
The present study aimed at assessing the relationship among self-
esteem, social connectedness and social anxiety. Its salient goal is to
examine the mediating role of social connectedness in relationship
between self-esteem and social anxiety. The selection of mediator
was made on the basis of literature which provides evidence for
covariates of relationship between variables of present study. This
model was already explored by Lee, Dean and Jung (2008) but
current study helped in getting idea about the relationship of these
variables regarding Pakistani population who have a different
cultural context.
Objectives
These objectives are based on the review of literature and are
briefly phrased as follows:
1. To assess the relationship between self-esteem, social
connectedness and social anxiety.
2. To find out the mediating role of social connectedness in
predicting social anxiety on the basis of self-esteem and social
anxiety.
3. To measure gender differences in all variables of the study.
Hypotheses
Based on literature above (e.g. Biemans et al., 2008; Lee, Dean &
Jung, 2008) we hypothesize that self-esteem would significantly
negatively predict social anxiety and social connectedness
significantly and negatively predict social anxiety. In other words,
part of social anxiety would be mediated and explained by social
connectedness. Self-esteem would significantly positively predict of
social connectedness. On the basis of literature (Angold, 2002;
Martinez & Dukes, 1991; Rapee & Spence, 2004) it is hypothesized
that there would be significant gender differences in the variables of
current study.
Methodology
Sample
A convenient sample comprised of 150 men & 150 women taken
from Sargodha city. Married and unmarried participants both were
given equal representation in the sample. All men were
professionals and were working in public and private sector; while
working (n=50) and non-working (n=100) both were given
representation. Age of the participants ranged from 22 to 55 years
(M=38.00, SD=7.10) and had a minimum of eight years of school
education.
Instruments
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Urdu version of
Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (Sardar, 1998) was used to measure
levels of self-esteem in the participants. The scale comprised 10-
items having 4-point Likert-type scale i.e., “1=strongly agree
“4=strongly disagree”. The item no 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 are positive items
and 3, 5, 8, 9, 10 are reversely scored items. Scale demonstrated
good reliability and validity. Indices of test-re-test reliability ranged
from .82 to .88 and reported range of Cronbach’s alpha is .77 to .88
(Rosenberg, 1965). Internal consistency of Urdu translated scale
was .86 (Sardar, 1998)
Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (SCS-R). Social
connectedness was measured by Urdu version of SCS-R (Fatima,
2014). The scale comprised of 20 items using a 6-point Likert-type
scale in which response format is from 1=strongly disagree to
6=strongly agree. Scores range from 20 to 120. The reported
reliability coefficient of SCS-R is .94 (Lee, 2001). Reliability of
Urdu translated version was .89 (Fatima, 2014)
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Liebowitz (1987)
designed LSAS with 24-items. In the current study Urdu version of
LSAS was used (Shahid, 2012). It is commonly used as self-report
measure of social anxiety; it contains items depicting different
social situations. For each situation individual rates their level of
anxiety. Items are divided into two subscales: Social Interaction and
Performance Situation. The overall score is calculated by summing
the scores on six subscales (total fear, total avoidance, and fear of
social situations, fear of performance situations, avoidance of social
situations and avoidance of performance situations). Alpha
reliability for LSAS total score was reported to be .96 and the
reliability of the Urdu version was alpha = .87.
Procedure
In order to collect the data participants were contacted at various
places for instance, their residence, and workplace etc. They were
briefed about the main purpose of study. After taking their informed
consent questionnaires were given to the willing participants. All
the queries regarding questionnaire and research purpose were are
13 FATIMA, NIAZI AND GHAYAS
solved and they were requested for accurate response.
Confidentiality of the obtained data was ensured to the participants.
Results
In order to test the hypotheses of current study analysis was
carried out through SPSS. Hierarchical regression analysis was used
to test mediation and t-test was applied to test the hypothesis
regarding gender based differences in all variables.
Table 1
Descriptive, Psychometric Properties and Inter Scale Correlations
of Variables (N = 300)
Variable
2
3
M(SD)
α
1
.57**
-.52**
24.27(4.14)
.70
2
-
-.85**
65.74(21.95)
.96
3
-
-
35.17(16.94)
.96
Note. SE = self-esteem; SC = social connectedness; SA = social
anxiety. Standard deviations appear in parentheses below means.
**p< .01
Table 1 shows satisfactory index of mean, standard deviation,
alpha reliability coefficient and correlation for all the constructs
used in the current study. Table 1 shows that self-esteem and social
connectedness are positively correlated, while both are negatively
correlated with social anxiety.
Table 2
Predictors of Social Anxiety (N = 300)
Predictor Variables
B
SEB
β
R2
SE
-2.12
.20
-.52***
.27***
SC
-.65
.02
-.85***
.72***
Note. SE = self-esteem; SC = social connectedness
***p< .001
In Table 2 simple linear regression suggested that self-esteem
negatively predicts social anxiety (β = -.52, t = -10.47, p < .001) and
explained 27% variance in social anxiety {R2=.27, F(1, 298) =
109.59, p < .001}, while social connectedness also negatively
predicts social anxiety (β = -.85, t = -27.49, p < .001) and explained
72 % variance in it {R2 =.72, F(1, 298) = 755.86, p < .001}.
Table 3
Self Esteem as a Predictor of Social Connectedness (N = 300)
Predictor Variables
B
SEB
β
R2
SE
3.01
.25
.57***
.32***
Note. SE = self-esteem
***p< .001
Table 3 indicates that self-esteem positively predicts social
connectedness (β = .57, t = 11.89, p < .001) and explains 32%
variance in social connectedness {R2= .32, F (1, 298) = 141.4, p <
.001}.
Table 4
Hierarchical Regression for Social Connectedness, Mediating the
Relationship between Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety (N=300).
Predictors
∆R2
β
Step I
.27***
Self-Esteem
-.52***
Step II
.45***
Self-Esteem
-.06
Social
Connectedness
-.82***
Total R2
.72***
***p< .001
Table 4 illustrates meditating impact of social connectedness
between the relationship of self-esteem and social anxiety. For
mediation three conditions must be fulfilled. The first condition is
that self-esteem is showing significant negative prediction of social
anxiety (β = -.52, t = -10.47, p <. 001), {F (1, 298) = 109.59, p <
.001} with 27% variance in social anxiety (R2 = .27). Second
condition is tested in which social connectedness is significantly
predicting social anxiety in negative direction (β = -.85, t = -27.49,
p < .001), {F (1, 298) = 755.86, p < .001}. This model explains
72% variance in social anxiety (R2 = .72.). Last condition is the
prediction of social connectedness by self-esteem which is also
found positively significant (β = .57, t = 11.89, p <. 001), {F (1,
298) = 144.10, p < .001} with 32% variance in social anxiety (R2 =
.32).
The final indication of mediation is clear as self-esteem which is
significant predictor of social anxiety (β = -.52, t = -10.47, p< .001)
becomes non-significant predictor of social anxiety (β = -.06, t = -
1.51, p> .05) when social connectedness was entered into the
model. Thus, findings indicate that social connectedness (β = -.82, t
= -21.84, p< .001) fully mediates the relationship among self-
esteem and social anxiety at {∆R2 = .45, F(1, 297) = 476.78, p<
.001}. This meditational model is further determined on the basis of
Sobel’s test (1986) for finding the significance of mediation which
proved to be significant with 55.1% variance in social anxiety
described by self-esteem is attributable to the mediational effect of
social connectedness. The hypothesis is supported that social
connectedness is mediating the relationship among self-esteem and
social anxiety and indirectly predicting social anxiety (Sobel’s Z=-
10.901, p < .001). The figure presented below represents the
mediation analysis with its significant path coefficients.
Table 5
Gender Differences on Study Variables (N=300)
Variables
Men(n = 150)
Women(n = 150)
t(298)
LL
UL
Cohen’s d
SE
23.00
(3.10)
25.00
(4.70)
4.00*
-2.80
-.97
0.5
SC
47.00
(10.00)
83.00
(15.00)
24.00*
-.38
-32.00
2.8
SA
49.00
(10.00)
21.00
(7.00)
26.00*
26.00
30.00
3.2
Note. SE = self-esteem; SC = social connectedness; SA = social anxiety. Standard deviations appear in parentheses below means.
*p< .001
SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS AS A MEDIATOR 14
Figure 1. Social connectedness mediating the relationship between self-esteem and social anxiety.
Table 5 portrays significant gender differences in self-esteem,
social connectedness and social anxiety. Furthermore, the values of
Mean and SD of women and men are reflecting that level of self-
esteem and social connectedness is high in women than men. The
table also showed high level of social anxiety in men as compared
to women.
Discussion
Analysis of the data revealed that self-esteem negatively
(significantly) predicted social anxiety (See Table 3) and supported
the first hypothesis that self-esteem provides a buffer against
anxiety (Crocker & Park, 2004; Pyszczynski et al., 2004). Results
also supported the second hypothesis that self-esteem significantly
positively predicted social connectedness (See Table 4). The results
are consistent with previous findings on the inter-relationship
between the variables, as Lasgaard and Elklit (2009) reported low
self-esteemed people try to be socially isolated and experience
diminished social connections and support. Alsosocial groups and
social ties have a positive effect on psychological wellbeing
decreasing the anxiety, mental health issues, and other signs of
emotional misery (Donald, Dower, Correa-Velez & Jones, 2006).
The present study revealed social connectedness fully mediated
self-esteem and social anxiety. These results are in line with the
results of study conducted by William and Gallaher (2006), as their
findings revealed that social connectedness play an important role
in connecting self-esteem with mental health of participants.
Similarly, previously it was maintained that social connectedness is
positively linked with self-esteem and negatively related to social
anxiety (Lee, Dean & Jung, 2008). Similarly other studies reported
that social connectedness improved self-esteem (Cacioppo &
Hawkley, 2003), reducing levels of social anxiety (Ashida &
Heaney, 2008). In contrast, low level of social connectedness, has
multiple negative outcomes for example, higher level of social
isolation, lead to greater signs of social anxiety and lower level of
self-esteem, in contrast to individuals with larger social networks
(Kim & Subramanian, 2006). People who are more involved in their
community services, interact with others have positive impact on
their personalities. Social involvement decreases their level of
social anxiety and also enhances their self-esteem (Mitchell &
LaGory, 2002). Yousaf and Li (2015) conducted a research on
Pakistani sample and reported that people in this culture had a keen
desire to belong to others in order to evaluate them favourably. This
tendency can be driving force for increasing self-esteem and
decreasing self-anxiety.
Results of the present study revealed significant gender
differences in social connectedness, social anxiety and self-esteem.
These findings are supported by pertinent literature (Sprecher,
Brooks, & Avogo, 2013). Bosak, Neff, and Schyns, (2004) reported
that men valued high self-esteem in each and every life matters such
as achievement and job satisfaction as compared to women. Keller,
Meier, Gross and Semmer (2013) suggested that self-esteem enable
people to use a variety of skills and attribute accomplishments to
them. Men are generally considered dominating and achievement-
oriented as compared to women, who are nurturing and socially
sensitive, and are caring with kind attributes. These attributes make
them socially connected more than men (Sczesny, Bosak, Neff, &
Schyns, 2004). Similarly, Moller, Fouladi, MaCarthy and Hatch
(2003) suggested that women reported higher levels of social
connectedness than men because they have sharing nature so have
more friends than men. On the other hand Azher, Khan, and Salim
(2014) reported high level of social anxiety in men than women.
Conclusions, Limitation and Implications
Since the study is based on a correlational design, so causal
connection among study variables cannot not be assumed. In future
research, true experimental research design should be utilized to
study causal relationships between these variables. As the measures
used in the current study were self- report, so it might cause social
desirability so it is suggested for future researchers to add some
measure of social desirability to control this element.
The present study has several implications for research and
practice. The present study clarified the role of social connectedness
in relation between self-esteem and social anxiety. These findings
can help counsellors and psychologists, dealing with socially
anxious people in various fields of life. They can design various
interventions or strategies to enhance self-esteem by guiding people
to improve their social involvement, and enable people to ultimately
cope with social anxiety.
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17 FATIMA, NIAZI AND GHAYAS
... So, according to this theory, due to the threat of social exclusion, low self-esteem should have a close connection with social anxiety. In line with the proposition of the sociometer theory, empirical research also suggests that individuals with lower self-esteem tend to report higher social anxiety (van Tuijl et al., 2014;Fatima et al., 2017). Recently, with 388 Singaporeans as participants, Jiang and Ngien (2020) used the questionnaire survey to clarify the mechanisms underlying the relationship between Instagram use intensity and social anxiety, and found that upward social comparison on social media had a significantly negative prediction on self-esteem and self-esteem further had a significantly negative prediction on social anxiety. ...
... Because prior literature has indicated that individuals with high social anxiety are more vulnerable to risk factors in external environment than those with low social anxiety (e.g., Mitchell and Schmidt, 2014). On a broad level, to thoroughly answer the question whether social media use will elevate social anxiety, we need to take possible individual differences into account in future research (e.g., lower trait self-esteem individuals are more likely to suffer from social anxiety than higher trait self-esteem individuals; Fatima et al., 2017). Given such potential limitations, in future research, we need to replicate our findings in both community and clinical samples, and compare potential results-pattern differences between the two samples. ...
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Background Prior literature has well established the relationship between social media use and social anxiety, but little attention has been paid to the underlying mechanisms. Additionally, the causal evidence concerning the effect of social media use on social anxiety is scarce. Objective Given that, two studies were conducted to examine the effect of social media use on social anxiety and the underlying mechanisms. Methods and results In Study 1, with 470 undergraduates as participants, we applied the questionnaire survey to investigate the relationship between social media use and social anxiety. The results showed that higher social media use intensity was significantly related to higher social anxiety, and social media use was related to social anxiety via two possible mediation paths: (1) social media use → upward social comparison → social anxiety, (2) and social media use → upward social comparison → self-esteem → social anxiety. In Study 2, with 180 undergraduates as participants, we conducted a lab experiment, in which participants were assigned to the experimental (exposed to the content that undergraduates frequently access on social media) or control (exposed to landscape documentaries) condition, and then measured their upward social comparison, self-esteem and social anxiety. The results showed that participants in the experimental condition reported higher social anxiety than those in the control condition, demonstrating the causality between social media exposure and social anxiety. The subsequent mediation analysis basically replicated the findings of Study 1. That is, upward social comparison played the mediating role between social media exposure and social anxiety, and upward social comparison and self-esteem played the chain-mediating role between them. Conclusion The current research firstly demonstrated the causality between social media use and social anxiety in Chinese society, and also revealed the mediating mechanisms between them, which would deepen our understanding of how social media use will increase social anxiety.
... Hasil ini disebabkan individu yang memiliki keterhubungan sosial cenderung mempunyai extraversion, social competence dan social resource yang tinggi (Capanna et al., 2013;Lee et al., 2008). Individu dengan keterhubungan sosial juga diketahui memiliki self-esteem, self-efficacy dan selfconcept yang positif serta social anxiety yang rendah dibandingkan individu yang tidak merasakan keterhubungan sosial (Fatima et al., 2017;Haslam et al., 2015). Kondisi ini mendorong individu dengan keterhubungan sosial tinggi untuk lebih mampu membuka diri pada penelitian dengan accidental purposive sampling sebagai teknik pengambilan datanya, dibanding individu dengan keterhubungan sosial yang rendah. ...
... Furthermore, the negative association between self-esteem and social anxiety has been demonstrated in several studies. For example, self-esteem had found to be a significant predictor of social anxiety in a survey conducted in Pakistan [60]. Additional study in China revealed that increased selfesteem was associated with low social fear in Chinese undergraduate students, indicating that self-esteem improvement can be utilized as a preventive psychotherapy to minimize social anxiety [61]. ...
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Background: Public speaking for nursing students is very significant as they will be effective health advocates in the future, and speaking is one of their basic capabilities that are very valuable for professional advancement. Public speaking anxiety is one of challenges that nursing students face in class, clinical settings, and the community. Aim: To examine the efficiency of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) intervention technique on public speaking anxiety and self-esteem among undergraduate nursing students. Methods: Quasi-experimental design with pre and post-test (intervention and control group) was employed. This study was performed at faculty of nursing, Menoufia University, Egypt. Systematic random sampling technique was utilized to choose 340 undergraduate nursing students and randomly assigned to one of both groups: intervention or control. The main instruments employed for gathering data involved Personal report of public speaking anxiety scale, Rosenberg self-esteem scale; and subjective units of distress scale. Results: There was 60.3% of the studied nursing students had a moderate degree of public speaking anxiety at pre EMDR intervention, with no statistically significant difference between both groups (P>0.05), while post EMDR intervention revealed significantly reduction in public speaking anxiety level in the intervention group compared to control group and difference between both groups was statistically significant (P<0.001). Furthermore, post EMDR sessions showed significantly improvement in self-esteem level in intervention group compared to control group and the difference between both groups was significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: The EMDR approach is useful in lowering speaking anxiety in public, and improving self-esteem among nursing students.
... For a variety of causes, low self-esteem can exacerbate social anxiety. First, people with low self-esteem have fewer interactions with others, which makes it difficult to build personal or supportive relationships, which are vital for one's well-being (Fatima et al., 2017). Second, people with poor self-esteem are more likely to rely on external social approval to feel better about themselves. ...
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Purpose This study aims to investigate specific green-brand affect in terms of commitment and connection through the morality–mortality determinants of consumer social responsibility and the assumptions of terror management theory in the proposed three-layered framework. Religiosity serves as a moderator within the framework. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected in Taipei, Taiwan, while quota sampling is applied, and 420 valid questionnaires are collected. The partial least squares technique is applied for data analysis. Findings With the contingent role of religiosity, consumer social responsibility influences socially conscious consumption, which in turn drives the commitment and connection of green-brand affect. The death anxiety and self-esteem outlined in terror management theory influence materialism, which then drives green-brand commitment; however, contrary to expectations, they do not drive green-brand connection. Originality/value By considering green brands beyond their cognitive aspects and into their affective counterparts, morality–mortality drivers of green-brand commitment and green-grand connection are explored to provide unique contributions so as to better understand socially responsible consumption.
... Some of the symptoms that appear in social anxiety are feelings of pressure and discomfort, and also fear regarding existing relationships (Leitenberg, 1990 Several studies have found that one of the internal factors that is thought to predict social anxiety is self-esteem. Self-esteem is a positive or negative attitude towards oneself (Rosenberg, 1965 (Fatima et al., 2017;Holas et al., 2023 (Koutamanis et al., 2015). ...
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Social anxiety can occur online when individuals use social media. Several factors that are thought to influence social anxiety using social media are self-esteem and demographic factors such as age, gender, and duration of social media use. The aim of this research is to measure empirically whether these variables are determinants of social anxiety using social media. The participants of this research are 164 active social media users who live in the Jakarta Greater Area. The social anxiety scale for social media users and the self-esteem scale are used as research instruments. The data analysis technique used is regression to measure the role of self-esteem on social anxiety using social media. Meanwhile, correlation tests and difference tests were carried out to determine the position of demographic variables in relation to social anxiety using social media. The research results show that age has a significant negative correlation, while the duration of social media use has a significant positive correlation with social anxiety using social media. On the other hand, self-esteem is proven to have an influence on all aspects of social anxiety using social media. The strongest effect appears on interaction anxiety, and the weakest effect appears on privacy content anxiety. The research results also showed that female participants had higher social anxiety using social media than male participants.
... Losing links to friends and feeling excluded can result in a worsened mood [72]. Social anxiety-triggered by a perceived threat to social relationships or status-is also strongly associated with connectedness [73,74]. Clinically, particularly in periods of substantial social disruption, it is important to encourage parents to establish and maintain structured routines centered on inclusive group activities (virtually, or otherwise) and involving children and youth in creating family social events that foster healthy connection [75,76]. ...
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... In terms of extraversion, interventions can focus on the development of skills that belong to its facets: social self-esteem, social boldness, and sociability. Young people can learn to improve their selfesteem (Liu X. et al., 2022), to cultivate positive self-regard and selfbeliefs (Hulme et al., 2012;Golde et al., 2023), self-compassion (Werner et al., 2012;Liu et al., 2020;Holas et al., 2023), self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resilience (Fatima et al., 2017;Serrano et al., 2021;Hui et al., 2022), emotional intelligence (Kahraman, 2022) and coping strategies (Takács et al., 2021). Liu et al. (2023b) show that, beyond traditional approaches in the treatment of anxiety disorders, digital mental health interventions prove to be very effective due to low costs, rapid diagnosis, effective treatment and positive effects. ...
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Introduction Social interaction anxiety and fear of negative evaluation have many maladaptive outcomes and, in order to counteract their effects, it is essential to identify those psychological or social factors that make people vulnerable to them. One of these factors is the individual’s personality structure: some personality traits increase the individuals’ vulnerability to symptoms of social anxiety, while others protect them. Methods The aim of this paper is to analyse the role of HEXACO personality traits in mediating the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety, in a sample of 352 cadets from the Land Forces Academy of Sibiu. The relationships between these concepts were analysed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in several hypothetical models, two of which were ultimately validated. Results In the first model, the fear of negative evaluation has an indirect effect on social interaction anxiety through the mediation of extraversion, conscientiousness, and altruism, separately. Furthermore, extraversion, conscientiousness, and altruism play a serial mediating role in the association between the fear of negative evaluation and social interaction anxiety. In the second model, the fear of negative evaluation has an indirect effect on social interaction anxiety through the mediation of social boldness, liveliness, and organization, separately, but not through altruism. Social boldness, liveliness, and organization played a serial mediating role in the relationship between the two constructs, while altruism moderated the relationship between liveliness, organization, and social interaction anxiety. Discussion Analysing the relationship between the individuals’ personality traits, social anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation facilitated the identification of ways to cultivate desirable behaviours in social environments typified by compliance, discipline, uniformity, and rigor.
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The enthusiastic and ardent fandom of Korean Pop Music is contagious and at its peak. People all around the world, despite the racial, geographical, and cultural differences, follow the various musical bands, and researchers have recently found fascinating associations between K-Pop Fanship and psychosocial benefits. This quantitative correlational study aims to be topical and intends to explore the relationship of K-Pop Fanship with self-esteem and social connectedness as psychosocial benefits. It was hypothesized that K-Pop Fanship will be positively correlated with self-esteem and social connectedness, and the level of Fanship in 12- to 20-year-old fans will be higher than in 20- to 28+-year-olds. A total of 599 individuals from various continents of the world, through volunteer sampling, participated in and completed a comprehensive online survey that measured the K-Pop Fanship, self-esteem, and social connectedness of each participant. The results indicated weak and insignificant correlations between the variables, and there was no difference found in the level of Fanship among the fans. The negative impact of unrealistic beauty standards, excessive idolization of the artists, and a globally higher ratio of female fans could provide an explanation for the findings. However, a significant positive and moderate association was found between self-esteem and social connectedness. It is plausible that K-Pop Fanship served as a moderating variable in the study between the other two variables. Therefore, the interesting inferences of the study stress the need to conduct further studies, both causal and correlational, to unveil other variables that are either caused by or related to K-Pop Fanship. Limitations, suggestions, and implications are also discussed.
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The objective of this study was to investigate not only the prevalence of internet addiction among the male and female students in the University of Sargodha but also the relationship between internet addiction and anxiety level of students. There were 300 students, from Masters’ classes, as sample, selected through cluster sampling. Internet Addiction Scale (I.A.S) and Beck Anxiety Scale were used as assessment tools for data collection. Data was analyzed using mean, standard deviation, T-test and regression analysis. The results showed that prevalence of internet is more in male students than female students. Regression analysis showed a positive and significant relation between internet addiction and anxiety level among University students. Key Words: Internet addiction, anxiety, students, University of Sargodha.
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This research aims to study the effect of classifying students on the basis of their past academic records on their self esteem and their perception of teachers as supportive or controlling. The study specifically applies to the Between Class Ability Grouping System and generally applies to normal teaching practices across Pakistan. The research was conducted using data collected from participants of schools in Karachi. Their self esteem measures were recorded and their perception of teacher behavior was recorded. Independent sample t tests were conducted on the data to verify the effect of classification of students on self esteem and teacher perception. The results showed that higher levels of self esteem were recorded in high performers of class that in low performers, (t=7.221, df=56, p=0.05). Moreover, high performers found their teachers as more supportive than low performers, (t=-7.241, df=56, p=0.05), and high performers found their teachers as less controlling than low performers (t=10.509, df=56, p=0.05).