Social anxiety in adolescence: a cross-national study between France and Spain
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Abstract
Adolescence is a stage that involves new social interaction demands that lead some young people to experience social anxiety and limit their development. The aim of this cross-national study arises from the need to understand whether there are cultural differences in the prevalence of social anxiety in adolescents. This study was to analyze the manifestations of social anxiety in French and Spanish adolescents taking into account gender. For this purpose, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) was administered to 2,533 Spanish and French secondary school students aged 11 to 18 years (Mage = 14,36, SD = 1,65 España; Mage = 14,45, SD = 1,88 Francia). The prevalence of social anxiety was found to be 25.5% in French adolescents and 29.7% in Spanish adolescents. French adolescents showed more fear of negative evaluation, while Spanish adolescents avoided more social situations, although the differences varied according to sex. Thus, Spanish girls, compared to French girls, showed less fear of negative evaluation and more social avoidance and distress in general, and Spanish boys, compared to French boys, showed more distress and avoidance of social situations. The results highlight the importance of addressing social anxiety in adolescents, taking into account the differential aspects by culture and sex, in order to design effective interventions to develop social skills and promote emotional wellbeing.
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