The role of depressive versus anxiety-related cognitive factors in social anxiety

University students (n=154) were administered questionnaires assessing symptoms and cognitive/personality variables related to depression, anxiety and perfectionism. These measures were used to predict scores on the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), a measure of generalized social anxiety, and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS), a measure of performance anxiety [Mattick, R. P., & Clarke, J. C. (1998) Development and validation of measures of social phobia scrutiny and social interaction anxiety. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 455–470.]. Hierarchical regression analyses suggest that fear of anxiety symptoms and some cognitive/personality variables previously linked to depression are salient predictors of social anxiety. The cognitive/personality factors were significant predictors of generalized and non-generalized social anxiety even after variance due to depressive and anxious symptoms were statistically controlled. Implications for understanding and treating social anxiety are discussed.