Logo image
Behavioral avoidance mediates the relationship between anxiety and depressive symptoms among social anxiety disorder patients
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Behavioral avoidance mediates the relationship between anxiety and depressive symptoms among social anxiety disorder patients

Ethan Moitra, James D. Herbert and Evan M. Forman
Journal of anxiety disorders, v 22(7), pp 1205-1213
01 Oct 2008
PMID: 18282686

Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine Psychiatry Psychology Psychology, Clinical Science & Technology Social Sciences
This study investigated the relationship between social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and behavioral avoidance among adult patients with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Epidemiological literature shows SAD is the most common comorbid disorder associated with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), though the relationship between these disorders has not been investigated. In most cases, SAD onset precedes MDD, suggesting symptoms associated with SAD might lead to depression in some people. The present study addressed this question by investigating the mediational role of behavioral avoidance in this clinical phenomenon, using self-report data from treatment-seeking socially anxious adults. Mediational analyses were performed on a baseline sample of 190 individuals and on temporal data from a subset of this group. Results revealed behavioral avoidance mediated this relationship, and supported the importance of addressing such avoidance in the therapeutic setting, via exposure and other methods, as a possible means of preventing depressive symptom onset in socially anxious individuals. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metrics

11 Record Views
62 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Web of Science research areas
Psychiatry
Psychology, Clinical
Logo image