17-07-2018 | Original Article | Uitgave 2/2019
Open Access
Longitudinal Links Between Adolescent Social Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms: Testing the Mediational Effects of Cybervictimization
- Tijdschrift:
-
Child Psychiatry & Human Development
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Uitgave 2/2019
- Auteurs:
- Nejra Van Zalk, Maarten Van Zalk
Abstract
This study focuses on the temporal sequence between social anxiety and depressive symptoms, and whether cybervictimization might mediate these links. We used a longitudinal sample of 501 early adolescents (51.9% girls; Mage = 13.96) followed at three time points. Using a cross-lagged path model in MPlus, we found that social anxiety predicted depressive symptoms over time, but not the other way around. Time-1 depressive symptoms also predicted cybervictimization, but only for boys and not for girls. No mediating effects of cybervictimization emerged; however, Time-2 social anxiety was a significant mediator between Time-1 social anxiety and depressive symptoms, whereas Time-2 depressive symptoms significantly mediated the link between Time-1 social anxiety and Time-3 depressive symptoms. In sum, social anxiety was a strong predictor of depressive symptoms over time but not vice versa—irrespective of cybervictimization.