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Family and friendship informal support networks and social anxiety disorder among African Americans and Black Caribbeans

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Abstract

Background

This study explores relationships between Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and quality and frequency of involvement with family and friends.

Methods

Data are from a nationally representative sample of African American and Black Caribbean adults (n = 5191), the National Survey of American Life. SAD was assessed using the DSM-IV World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview.

Results

Findings indicated that among both populations, close supportive ties with family members and friends are protective against meeting criteria for SAD. Negative interactions with family (e.g., conflicts), however, are a risk factor for SAD among both African Americans and Black Caribbeans. For African Americans, an interaction indicates that the relationship between negative interaction and social anxiety is much stronger among African Americans who are not emotionally close to their families. For Caribbean Blacks, an interaction suggests that the odds of meeting criteria for SAD were higher among Black Caribbeans who had high negative interaction with family as well as low levels of friendship closeness.

Limitations

The cross-sectional nature of the study does not allow for causal attributions for findings.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that SAD may impact black ethnic subgroups differently, which has important implications for understanding the nature, etiology, and treatment of this disorder.

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Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 500 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Debra Siegel Levine, Robert Joseph Taylor, Linda M. Chatters & Joseph A. Himle

  2. VA Serious Mental Illness Treatment Resource and Evaluation Center (SMITREC), Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Debra Siegel Levine

  3. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA

    Ann W. Nguyen

Authors
  1. Debra Siegel Levine
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  2. Robert Joseph Taylor
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  3. Ann W. Nguyen
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  4. Linda M. Chatters
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  5. Joseph A. Himle
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Correspondence to Debra Siegel Levine.

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Levine, D.S., Taylor, R.J., Nguyen, A.W. et al. Family and friendship informal support networks and social anxiety disorder among African Americans and Black Caribbeans. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 50, 1121–1133 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-015-1023-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-015-1023-4

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