Interpretation Bias and Adolescent Social Anxiety: The Mediating Effect of Pre- and Post-Event Rumination.

Background: Interpretation bias (IB), pre- and post-event rumination are related to adolescent social anxiety (SA). However, although postulated theoretically, the mediating role of pre- and post-event rumination between IB and SA has not been examined in adolescents. In addition, post-event rumination was found to differ in varying social situations (e.g., speech vs. interaction). Therefore, by establishing social tasks, the current research investigated whether: (i) pre- and post-event rumination mediated the association between IB and SA among adolescents, and (ii) this mediation was moderated by situational type.In Study 1, 31 socially anxious adolescents and 37 controls were recruited and then primed with a speech task. In Study 2, 61 socially anxious adolescents were randomly assigned to a speech (<italic>n</italic> = 31) or interaction (<italic>n</italic> = 30) task. In both studies, baseline IB and SA, state pre-event rumination before starting the social task, post-event rumination and SA after social task were measured.IB affected adolescents’ SA via pre- and post-event rumination; however, the mediation effect was found only in the speech task.Findings provide potential approaches for reducing adolescent SA by targeting IB and rumination and showed the situational adaptability of the cognitive model of social anxiety disorder among adolescents.Methods: Interpretation bias (IB), pre- and post-event rumination are related to adolescent social anxiety (SA). However, although postulated theoretically, the mediating role of pre- and post-event rumination between IB and SA has not been examined in adolescents. In addition, post-event rumination was found to differ in varying social situations (e.g., speech vs. interaction). Therefore, by establishing social tasks, the current research investigated whether: (i) pre- and post-event rumination mediated the association between IB and SA among adolescents, and (ii) this mediation was moderated by situational type.In Study 1, 31 socially anxious adolescents and 37 controls were recruited and then primed with a speech task. In Study 2, 61 socially anxious adolescents were randomly assigned to a speech (<italic>n</italic> = 31) or interaction (<italic>n</italic> = 30) task. In both studies, baseline IB and SA, state pre-event rumination before starting the social task, post-event rumination and SA after social task were measured.IB affected adolescents’ SA via pre- and post-event rumination; however, the mediation effect was found only in the speech task.Findings provide potential approaches for reducing adolescent SA by targeting IB and rumination and showed the situational adaptability of the cognitive model of social anxiety disorder among adolescents.Results: Interpretation bias (IB), pre- and post-event rumination are related to adolescent social anxiety (SA). However, although postulated theoretically, the mediating role of pre- and post-event rumination between IB and SA has not been examined in adolescents. In addition, post-event rumination was found to differ in varying social situations (e.g., speech vs. interaction). Therefore, by establishing social tasks, the current research investigated whether: (i) pre- and post-event rumination mediated the association between IB and SA among adolescents, and (ii) this mediation was moderated by situational type.In Study 1, 31 socially anxious adolescents and 37 controls were recruited and then primed with a speech task. In Study 2, 61 socially anxious adolescents were randomly assigned to a speech (<italic>n</italic> = 31) or interaction (<italic>n</italic> = 30) task. In both studies, baseline IB and SA, state pre-event rumination before starting the social task, post-event rumination and SA after social task were measured.IB affected adolescents’ SA via pre- and post-event rumination; however, the mediation effect was found only in the speech task.Findings provide potential approaches for reducing adolescent SA by targeting IB and rumination and showed the situational adaptability of the cognitive model of social anxiety disorder among adolescents.Conclusions: Interpretation bias (IB), pre- and post-event rumination are related to adolescent social anxiety (SA). However, although postulated theoretically, the mediating role of pre- and post-event rumination between IB and SA has not been examined in adolescents. In addition, post-event rumination was found to differ in varying social situations (e.g., speech vs. interaction). Therefore, by establishing social tasks, the current research investigated whether: (i) pre- and post-event rumination mediated the association between IB and SA among adolescents, and (ii) this mediation was moderated by situational type.In Study 1, 31 socially anxious adolescents and 37 controls were recruited and then primed with a speech task. In Study 2, 61 socially anxious adolescents were randomly assigned to a speech (<italic>n</italic> = 31) or interaction (<italic>n</italic> = 30) task. In both studies, baseline IB and SA, state pre-event rumination before starting the social task, post-event rumination and SA after social task were measured.IB affected adolescents’ SA via pre- and post-event rumination; however, the mediation effect was found only in the speech task.Findings provide potential approaches for reducing adolescent SA by targeting IB and rumination and showed the situational adaptability of the cognitive model of social anxiety disorder among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]