Peer victimisation and social anxiety disorder among adolescents: the mediating role of perceived social support

Year 2025, Issue: Advanced Online Publication, 274 - 290

Obaloluwa Adeyemo , Bede Akpunne , Oluwatobiloba Okeniyi , Elizabeth Akpunne

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the links between peer victimisation, perceived social support, and social anxiety disorder, and assessed the mediating role of perceived social support.
Method: A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 551 adolescents (45% male, 55% female) mean age =14.70 SD =1.76). Participants completed the Social Phobia Inventory, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Multidimensional Online and Offline Peer Victimisation Scale. Structural equation modeling, regression analysis, independent t-tests, and one-way ANOVA were used to test the hypotheses.
Results: A 12.9% prevalence of severe social anxiety was reported by participants. Peer victimisation significantly predicted social anxiety (β=0.36, t=9.30, p<0.01) and together with perceived social support, it significantly predicted social anxiety disorder (R=0.42, R²=0.18; F (1,543) = 19.52, p<0.01). Perceived social support did not significantly mediate the relationship between peer victimisation and social anxiety (β=0.003, t=0.038, 95% CI: -0.012 ~ 0.021, p>0.05). Female adolescents exhibited significantly higher social anxiety than males (t (551) = -4.26, p<0.01), with no significant
differences found across adolescent age groups (F (2, 548) = 1.73, p>0.05).
Conclusion: The findings highlight the significant impact of peer victimisation on social anxiety, with female adolescents being particularly vulnerable. Educational administrators and policymakers should implement programs to enhance social support and address peer victimisation, with attention to gender differences in social anxiety.

Keywords

Peer victimisation , Perceived social support , Social anxiety , In-school adolescents

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval was obtained from Redeemers’ University Directorate of Research Innovations and Partnerships on 30.06.2024 with the decision number of RUN/REC/2024/212.

Supporting Institution

Redeemer's University

Project Number

RUN/REC/2024/212

References

• 1. Jefferies P, Ungar M. Social anxiety in young people: a prevalence study in seven countries. PLoS One 2020;15(9):e0239133.
• 2. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.
• 3. National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK). Social Anxiety Disorder: Recognition, Assessment and Treatment. Leicester (UK): The British Psychological Society; 2013. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK327674
• 4. Leigh E, Clark DM. Understanding social anxiety disorder in adolescents and improving treatment outcomes: applying the cognitive model of Clark and Wells (1995). Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2018;21(3):388-414.
• 5. Gray E, Beierl ET, Clark DM. Sub-types of safety behaviours and their effects on social anxiety disorder. PLoS One 2019;14(10):e0223165.
• 6. Stein DJ, Lim CCW, Roest AM, de Jonge P, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Al-Hamzawi A, et al. The cross-national epidemiology of social anxiety disorder: data from the World Mental Health Survey Initiative. BMC Med 2017;15(1):1-21.
• 7. Dowbiggin IR. High anxieties: the social construction of anxiety disorders. Can J Psychiatry 2009;54(7):429-436.
• 8. Marsh HW, Guo J, Parker PD, et al. Peer victimisation: an integrative review and cross-national test of a tripartite model. Educ Psychol Rev 2023;35:46.
• 9. Arseneault L. Annual research review: the persistent and pervasive impact of being bullied in childhood and adolescence: implications for policy and practice. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2017;59(4):405-421.
• 10. González-Cabrera J, Montiel I, Ortega-Barón J, Calvete E, Orue I, Machimbarrena JM. Epidemiology of peer victimisation and its impact on health-related quality of life in adolescents: a longitudinal study. Sch Ment Health 2021;13(2):338-346.
• 11. Akpunne BC, Kumuyi DO, Ogunsemi JO, Ojo S. Peer victimisation, social maladjustment and psychological distress among Nigerian adolescents. Eur Sci J 2020;16(3):31-39.
• 12. Balluerka N, Aliri J, Goñi-Balentziaga O, Gorostiaga A. Association between bullying victimisation, anxiety and depression in childhood and adolescence: the mediating effect of self-esteem. Rev Psicol Educ 2023;28:1-14.
• 13. Herge WM, La Greca AM, Chan SF. Adolescent peer victimisation and physical health problems. J Pediatr Psychol 2015;41(1):15-27.
• 14. Holt-Lunstad J, Uchino BN. Social support and health. In: Glanz K, Rimer BK, Viswanath K, editors. Health Behavior: Theory, Research, and Practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 2015. p.183-204.
• 15. Acoba EF. Social support and mental health: the mediating role of perceived stress. Front Psychol 2024;15:1330720.
• 16. Eagle D, Hybels C, Proeschold-Bell RJ. Perceived social support, received social support, and depression among clergy. J Soc Pers Relat 2018;36(7):2055-2073.
• 17. Reijntjes A, Kamphuis JH, Prinzie P, Boele PA, van der Schoot M, Telch MJ. Prospective linkages between peer victimisation and externalizing problems in children: a meta-analysis. Aggress Behav 2011;37(3):215-222.
• 18. Zhou J, Wang L, Zhu D, et al. Social anxiety and peer victimisation and aggression: examining reciprocal trait-state effects among early adolescents. J Youth Adolesc 2023;53:701-717.
• 19. Pickering L, Hadwin JA, Kovshoff H. The role of peers in the development of social anxiety in adolescent girls: a systematic review. Adolesc Res Rev 2019;4:1-15.
• 20. Zimet GD, Dahlem NW, Zimet SG, Farley GK. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. J Pers Assess 1988;52(1):30-41.
• 21. Coyle S, Malecki CK, Emmons J. Keep your friends close: exploring the associations of bullying, peer social support, and social anxiety. Contemp Sch Psychol 2019;23:1-12.
• 22. Norris F, Kaniasty K. Received and perceived social support in times of stress: a test of the social support deterioration deterrence model. J Pers Soc Psychol 1996;71:498-511.
• 23. Prati G, Pietrantoni L. An application of the social support deterioration deterrence model to rescue workers. J Community Psychol 2010;38:901-917.
• 24. Shiba K, Yazawa A, Kino S, Kondo K, Aida J, Kawachi I. Depressive symptoms in the aftermath of major disaster: empirical test of the social support deterioration model using natural experiment. Wellbeing Space Soc 2020;1:100006.
• 25. Norris F, Kaniasty K. Received and perceived social support in times of stress: a test of the social support deterioration deterrence model. J Pers Soc Psychol 1996;71:498-511.
• 26. Prati G, Pietrantoni L. An application of the social support deterioration deterrence model to rescue workers. J Community Psychol 2010;38:901-917.
• 27. Shiba K, Yazawa A, Kino S, Kondo K, Aida J, Kawachi I. Depressive symptoms in the aftermath of major disaster: empirical test of the social support deterioration model using natural experiment. Wellbeing Space Soc 2020;1:100006.
• 28. Spence SH, Lawrence D, Zubrick SR. Anxiety trajectories in adolescents and the impact of social support and peer victimisation. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2022;50:795-807.
• 29. Aderanti R. Socio-personalogical factors as determinants of antisocial behaviours among adolescents in Ikenne, Ogun State. Eur Sci J 2015;11(3):1-10.
• 30. Kline RB. Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling. 4th ed. New York: The Guilford Press; 2016. 31. Bello IB, Akinnawo EO, Akpunne BC, Onisile DF. Validation of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support on Nigerian female undergraduates. J Educ Soc Behav Sci 2022;35:19-26.
• 32. Sumter SR, Valkenburg PM, Baumgartner SE, Peter J, van der Hof S. Development and validation of the multidimensional offline and online peer victimisation scale. Comput Hum Behav 2015;46:114-122.
• 33. Connor KM, Davidson JRT, Churchill E, Sherwood A, Foa EB, Weisler RH. Psychometric properties of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN). Br J Psychiatry 2000;176:279-286.
• 34. Chen JT, Lin CC, Wang SC, Liao SC, Chen JY, Liu CY, Lee MB. Finding social phobia patients from the internet. Psychiatry Res 2011;190:121-125.
• 35. Preacher KJ, Hayes AF. Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behav Res Methods 2008;40(3):879-891.
• 36. Marsh HW, Hocevar D. Application of confirmatory factor analysis to the study of self-concept: first- and higher order factor models and their invariance across groups. Psychol Bull 1985;97(3):562-582.
• 37. Hair JF, Black WC, Babin BJ, Anderson RE. Multivariate Data Analysis: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education; 2010.
• 38. Tucker LR, Lewis C. A reliability coefficient for maximum likelihood factor analysis. Psychometrika 1973;38(1):1-10.
• 39. Bentler PM. Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychol Bull 1990;107(2):238-246.
• 40. Ho TC, Shah R, Mishra J, May AC, Tapert SF. Multi-level predictors of depression symptoms in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022;63:1523-1533.
• 41. Caqueo-Urízar A, Atencio-Quevedo D, Ponce-Correa F, Mena-Chamorro P, Urzúa A, Flores J. Pre and post pandemic depressive and anxious symptoms in children and adolescents in Northern Chile. J Clin Med 2023;12:1601.
• 42. Chiu K, Clark DM, Leigh E. Cognitive predictors of adolescent social anxiety. Behav Res Ther 2020;137:103801.
• 43. Caldiroli A, Capuzzi E, Affaticati L, Surace T, Di Forti C, Dakanalis A, Clerici M, Buoli M. Candidate biological markers for social anxiety disorder: a systematic review. Int J Mol Sci 2023;24:835.
• 44. Thoits PA. Mechanisms linking social ties and support to physical and mental health. J Health Soc Behav 2011;52(2):145-161.
• 45. Prinstein MJ, Boergers J, Vernberg EM. Overt and relational aggression in adolescents: social-psychological adjustment of aggressors and victims. J Clin Child Psychol 2001;30(4):479-491.
• 46. Zentner KE, Lee H, Dueck BS, Masuda T. Cultural and gender differences in social anxiety: the mediating role of self-construals and gender role identification. Curr Psychol 2022;41:3824-3838.
• 47. Westenberg PM, Drewes MJ, Goedhart AW, Siebelink BM, Treffers PDA. A developmental analysis of self-reported fears in late childhood through mid-adolescence: social-evaluative fears on the rise? J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2004;45(3):481-495.
• 48. La Greca AM, Lopez N. Social anxiety among adolescents: linkages with peer relations and friendships. J Abnorm Child Psychol 1998;26(2):83-94.
• 49. Storch EA, Masia-Warner C, Brassard MR. The relationship of peer victimisation to social anxiety and loneliness in adolescence. Child Study J 2004;34(1):1-18.
• 50. McLaughlin KA, King K. Developmental trajectories of anxiety and depression in early adolescence. J Abnorm Child Psychol 2015;43(2):311-323.
• 51. Boulton MJ. Associations between adults’ recalled childhood bullying victimization, current social anxiety, coping, and self-blame: evidence for moderation and indirect effects. Anxiety Stress Coping 2013;26(3):270-292.
• 52. Levinson CA, Langer JK, Rodebaugh TL. Reactivity to exclusion prospectively predicts social anxiety symptoms in young adults. Behav Ther 2013;44(3):470-478.