Social anxiety tends to be elevated among those who experienced emotional abuse in childhood

New research published in Journal of Affective Disorders sought to investigate the relationship between child maltreatment and social anxiety. The research team of Jiaqi Liu and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of the studies and found that those who are victims of childhood maltreatment are more likely to develop social anxiety.

They also found that emotional abuse was a stronger predictor of social anxiety than physical or sexual abuse. These findings can help doctors identify people who are victims of childhood maltreatment or suffer from undiagnosed social anxiety.

Child maltreatment or abuse is found all over the world; it has serious mental and physical health consequences, lasting into adulthood. Research has found that social anxiety is not an unusual result of childhood maltreatment. Individuals with social anxiety are fearful and anxious in social situations, which can result in them avoiding many situations and activities they would otherwise like to do.

While there has been enough research to conclude a relationship between social anxiety and childhood maltreatment, it is still unclear whether there are different types of maltreatment that may be more likely to result in social anxiety.

In order to understand the consequences of different types of childhood maltreatment for the development of social anxiety, Liu and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 29 research articles. After searching academic databases, articles were included in the meta-analysis if they examined the relationship between child maltreatment and social anxiety in nonclinical populations.

A meta-analysis is a statistical method that combines the results of multiple studies to provide a more complete and reliable assessment of the research question at hand. By pooling data from multiple studies, a meta-analysis increases sample size and statistical power. This allows for more accurate and reliable estimates of the relationship between child maltreatment and social anxiety.

Data analysis revealed a positive relationship between child maltreatment and social anxiety. In particular, emotional abuse had the strongest correlation. The likelihood of an individual experiencing social anxiety following childhood emotional abuse was significantly higher than that found for physical or sexual abuse.

Previous research has revealed a relationship between early maltreatment and social anxiety. The finding that it appears to be emotional abuse that results in the higher likelihood of developing social anxiety is important to professionals. Emotional abuse can include verbal abuse, emotional neglect, withdrawal behaviors, or denial of affection. The research team recommends that when doctors see children or individuals with social anxiety or a history of maltreatment, it would be pertinent to evaluate them for the other condition.

The meta-analysis also revealed that the younger the participants were, the stronger the relationship between child maltreatment and social anxiety was. Additionally, individuals in social anxiety clinic settings at the time of the research were more likely to report childhood maltreatment.

These findings suggest that the younger you are, the more likely you are to experience social anxiety symptoms if childhood maltreatment is also present. Additionally, it is possible that those who experience childhood abuse and experience social anxiety are more likely to seek treatment.

The research team acknowledged some limitations to their study. First, the studies included in the meta-analysis used different methods to measure child maltreatment and social anxiety. Pre-existing differences in these measurement tools may have led to some misinterpretation of the data.

Despite these limitations, the meta-analysis provides important insights into the relationship between child maltreatment and social anxiety. The research team suggests that future research should explore other potential causes for the relationship between childhood maltreatment and social anxiety to better understand how they might be linked. Additionally, future studies should include more diverse samples to explore the impact of cultural differences.

The study, The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment and Social Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis, was written by Jiaqi Liu, Jiaqi Deng, Huiping Zhang, and Xinfeng Tang.

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