Post-event rumination as a mediator in the relationship between self-focused attention and social anxiety in Chinese adolescents

Abstract

Cognitive models of social anxiety disorder have conveyed the implication that self-focused attention (SFA) and post-event rumination (PER) are significant predictors in maintaining the symptoms of social anxiety (SA); however, their relationships have been scarcely studied in adolescents, including Chinese samples. The primary purpose of the current study was to examine the role of PER as a potential mediator between SFA and SA among Chinese adolescents; moreover, the moderation effect of gender was investigated. A total of 2,755 Chinese adolescents ranging in age from 11 to 19 years old with an average age of 14.18 were recruited from six urban public schools. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires measuring SFA, PER, SA, and depression. Structural equation modeling results showed that PER displayed as a plausible mediator in the relationship between SFA and SA, even after controlling for depression. In addition, gender was revealed to be a significant moderator, with a stronger relationship between PER and SA for girls than for boys. The current study provided evidence for Clark and Wells' proposition about the associations among SFA, PER, and SA, contributing to the field of adolescents' mental health and supporting the cultural applicability of the model.

Keywords: Chinese adolescents; gender effect; post-event rumination; self-focused attention; social anxiety.