The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Social Anxiety Disorder: The Mediation Effect of Self-Concept Clarity

Abstract

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders. Prevention may be particularly important for SAD as only a low number of individuals seek treatment and high personal costs are associated with the disorder. Recent research has suggested that mindfulness might be a resilience factor for the development of SAD, as well as that mindfulness-based interventions are effective in the treatment of SAD. Current research examines the relationship between mindfulness and SAD and proposes SCC as a mediational factor. A number of 432 undergraduate students completed self-report measures aimed at measuring trait mindfulness, SCC, SAD and self-esteem. Results from the mediation analysis indicated that SCC was indeed partially mediating the effect of mindfulness on SA symptoms, even after controlling for gender and self-esteem. The found mediational role of SCC is novel and if assumed causal directions can be confirmed in future research, current results can potentially provide opportunities for improving current prevention programs for SAD.