Relationship between Attachment, Schemas, Rejection Sensitivity and Social Anxiety Among Late Adolescents

Abstract

Social anxiety is a widespread psychological problem in the later stages of adolescence. The importance of the parent-child relationship in the emergence and perpetuation of social anxiety emphasizes the need to analyze social anxiety through the perspective of attachment theory. Literature shows that early maladaptive schemas and sensitivity to rejection could influence how attachment patterns are connected to psychopathology. This study strives to investigate how rejection/disconnection schema domain and rejection sensitivity mediate the connection between anxious and avoidant attachment and social anxiety. The study included 400 college students (200 male, 200 female) aged 16-19 (M = 17.36, SD = 1.034). Participants were given the Experience in Close Relationships – Revised Child’s Version (ECR-RC), Young Schema Questionnaire for Adolescents (YSQ A), Appearance-RS scale, Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ), and Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) during the study. Findings indicated that insecure attachment dimensions are linked to social anxiety adolescents through the mediation of rejection/disconnection rejection/disconnection schema and appearance rejection sensitivity. Additionally, insecure attachment dimensions are indirectly associated with social anxiety in late adolescents through the mediation of rejection/disconnection schema and interpersonal rejection sensitivity. The present research could enhance existing literature by offering insights into the development of the correlation between attachment and social anxiety. Clinicians should consider focusing on the early maladaptive schema domains and rejection sensitivity to enhance clients’ functionality and quality of life.