Search Results (5)

Background: The global prevalence of anxiety and internalizing disorders in adolescence has increased epidemiologically over the past decade, compounded by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of digital social networks. Despite the availability of empirically based interventions, their systematic implementation in Spanish educational settings—especially in socioeconomically vulnerable environments—remains insufficient. This study aimed to assess the emotional symptomatology profile in a sample of adolescents enrolled in the 2nd year of Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) and to describe the changes in symptomatology observed after implementation of a multicomponent intervention program in an ordinary school setting. Methods: a quasi-experimental single-group repeated-measures design was used, with pretest–posttest measurements (T1–T2). The sample included 79 participants (age in completed years: M = 13.28 years, SD = 0.64; range: 12–15; 49.4% female, 44.3% male, 6.3% undisclosed), selected by convenience at IES Estuaria (Huelva). The assessment instrument was the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-47), which measures total anxiety, total internalization, and six clinical subdimensions aligned with DSM-5: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), panic disorder (PD), separation anxiety (SA), social phobia (SP), and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). The intervention consisted of five multicomponent group workshops (45 min/session; three class groups) integrating emotional psychoeducation, receptive music therapy, cognitive–behavioral emotional regulation, assertive communication, and body expression/mindfulness. Results: At pretest, Social Phobia (SP) showed the highest clinical impairment, significantly affecting more females (66.67%) than males (20.00%). Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) also presented high impairment in females. Significant correlations between pairs of subdimensions revealed a high comorbidity pattern. Following the intervention, reductions in clinically significant levels were observed across all dimensions. Matched-pairs Wilcoxon signed-rank tests confirmed statistically significant score reductions from T1 to T2 in Total Anxiety, Total Internalization, Social Phobia, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (all p < 0.05), with the largest effect for Social Phobia (r = 0.46); no significant change was detected for Panic Disorder, Separation Anxiety, Major Depressive Disorder, or Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder, although the direction of change favored improvement in all cases. Conclusions: The multicomponent intervention program produced improvements in emotional symptomatology over the short-term follow-up period, although without achieving complete clinical remission in any subdimension. The persistent sex differences—with greater residual impairment in the female group after intervention—underscore the need to incorporate a gender perspective in the design of school emotional health programs. High comorbidity rates between subdimensions support the utility of transdiagnostic approaches. Implications for school nursing practice and future research are discussed. Full article

Social media addiction (SMA) and social phobia (SP) are significant adolescent mental health concerns. In Saudi Arabia, despite high social media penetration, the association between these two constructs remains under-researched, particularly in the Aseer region. This cross-sectional study, conducted from January to March 2025, recruited 384 Saudi adolescents aged 11–19 from schools in the Aseer region using multistage cluster sampling. Participants completed validated self-report measures, including the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) and the Al-Menayes Social Media Addiction Scale. A refined “Core SMA” subscale was created based on expert consensus criteria to enhance measurement precision. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe social phobia was 15.6%. A significant, moderate positive correlation emerged between SP and SMA (Spearman’s ρ = 0.294, p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, gender, and family income, adolescents with moderate social phobia had 2.15 times the odds of probable SMA compared to those with no SP (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.15–4.04, p < 0.05), and this effect was more pronounced for those with severe social phobia (AOR = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.04–6.30, p < 0.05). This study demonstrates a clear relationship between social phobia severity and social media addiction among Saudi adolescents in the Aseer region. These findings support the urgent need for integrated mental health and digital literacy interventions that proactively screen for both conditions. Full article

Previous research has indicated that anticipating positive effects from cannabis use may be linked with increased frequency of cannabis consumption, yet these expectancies remain poorly understood in adults with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Thus, our study aimed to investigate the expectancies of the effects of cannabis use in 26 frequently using adults with SAD (age: 27.9 ± 7.3 years; 54% female) and 26 (age: 27.4 ± 6.7 years; 50% female) without. While no between-group differences were observed, both groups reported expecting tension reduction and relaxation (F = 0.001; p = 0.974), cravings, and physical effects (F = 1.10; p = 0.300), but denied global negative effects (F = 0.11; p = 0.744). The trajectory of cannabis use perceptions (further investigated in 12/26 participants/group) also showed no between-group differences. Before the initial use, positive perceptions may have led to initial and continuous cannabis consumption, while the symptoms of cannabis use disorder may have contributed to repeated use. Our data indicate that, regardless of psychiatric history, frequent cannabis-using adults are more likely to report positive expectancies, which are often associated with increased patterns of cannabis consumption. Psychoeducational programs and openly discussing the risks of cannabis may be beneficial in preventing and/or reducing cannabis use in people with SAD. Full article

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition. Consequently, it is common for those affected to resort to cannabis to cope with their symptoms. The primary objective of this study was to understand the differences between motivations for cannabis use in adults with and without SAD. We employed convergent, mixed methods to collect the data. Twenty-six individuals (age: 27.9 ± 7.3 years; 54% female) with and twenty-six (age: 27.4 ± 6.7 years; 50% female) without SAD were administered Marijuana Motives Measure (MMM). Motivations to initiate, continue, and maintain cannabis use were assessed in 12/26 participants in both groups using in-depth interviews. Cannabis weekly consumption was 3.8-fold and frequency 1.3-fold higher in the SAD group. Coping (F = 10.02; p <0.001; η² = 0.46) and social (F = 2.81; p = 0.036; η² = 0.19) motivations were also higher in the SAD group, after controlling for age, sex, and current CUD. The need to cope with symptoms of SAD may have been the driving force for repeated cannabis consumption. Psychoeducational programs educating children about the risk of using cannabis to cope with SAD should be implemented in vocational settings early on. Full article

Background: Mental imagery (MI) may play a key role in the development of various mental disorders in adolescents. Adolescence is known to be a fragile life period, in which acceptance by one’s favored peer group is extremely important, and social rejection is particularly painful. This is the first pilot study investigating MI and its relationship to social pain (SP). Method: A sample of 80 adolescents (14–20 years; 75.3% female) completed a web-based quasi-experimental design about the contents and characteristics of their spontaneous positive and negative MI and associated emotions, and were asked to complete the Social Pain Questionnaire, the Becks Depression Inventory and the Social Phobia Inventory. Results: A higher score of SP was significantly associated with increased fear, sadness, and feelings of guilt, and less control over negative MI. Characteristics of negative MI were more precisely predicted by SP scores than depression- and social anxiety scores. Adolescents with higher SP-scores more often reported negative images including social situations and were more likely to perceive negative images in a combination of field-and observer perspectives than adolescents with lower SP scores. Conclusion: SP-sensitivity seems to be linked to unique characteristics of negative MI, which reveals the strong emotional impact of social exclusion in youths. The results do not allow causal conclusions to be drawn, but raise questions about previous studies comparing each imagery perspective individually. Full article