In recent years, fear of positive evaluation has emerged as one of the key aspects of social anxiety, alongside fear of negative evaluation. Fears of evaluation intensify during adolescence, a time when individuals are expected to navigate new, emotionally challenging situations. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between social anxiety, fear of positive and negative evaluation, and three emotion regulation strategies relevant to social anxiety, i.e., suppression, acceptance, and rumination. To this end, data were collected from 647 adolescents via an online survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling. We found that fear of negative evaluation was significantly related to rumination, whereas fear of positive evaluation was significantly and negatively related to acceptance. We further found an indirect effect of social anxiety on suppression via fear of positive evaluation and acceptance in a serial mediation and an indirect effect of social anxiety on rumination via fear of negative evaluation. Not only do fears of positive and negative evaluation appear to be distinct constructs, but they are also differentially associated with three emotion regulation strategies pertinent to social anxiety. Fear of evaluation and its associations with emotion regulation deficits might hinder the therapeutic process by acting as a deterrent to positive reinforcement or potentially impeding the development of a successful therapeutic alliance.

Fear of positive evaluation (FPE) has recently emerged as an important aspect of social anxiety, alongside fear of negative evaluation. These evaluation fears peak during adolescence, a developmental stage that is also often accompanied by difficulties in emotion regulation, thereby increasing young individuals’ vulnerability to mental disorders, such as social anxiety. We aimed to examine the longitudinal within-person associations between fears of evaluation, social anxiety, and three emotion regulation strategies (i.e., acceptance, suppression, rumination) in adolescents. Data were collected from a sample of 684 adolescents through an online survey three times over the course of 6 months and were analyzed using random intercept cross-lagged panel models. At the between-person level, FPE was linked to all three emotion regulation strategies, whereas fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety were associated with acceptance and rumination. At the within-person level, difficulties in accepting emotions predicted FPE, suppression predicted social anxiety, and social anxiety predicted rumination over time. These findings reveal complex interdependencies between emotion regulation, social anxiety, and evaluation fears, both reflecting individual differences and predicting changes within individuals, and further elucidate the developmental trajectory of social anxiety in adolescence.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, spreading stress and fear around the world. The present study aims to elucidate on the psychological factors associated with perceived stress and anxiety in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, by examining the role of intolerance of uncertainty and psychological resilience. The study used baseline data collected in April-May of 2020 via an online survey distributed via social media to adults who resided in Greece. The outcome variable was the Covid-19 Anxiety Scale (CAS). Predictor variables were Intolerance to Uncertainty (IU) and psychological resilience measured by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). A total of 425 participants (67.2% females) with a mean age of 38.9 years participated in the survey. Women scored significantly higher than men in CAS. The results of hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that IU and resilience, independently of one another, were significantly associated with COVID-19 anxiety, explaining 16.5% of the variance. IU appears to be a risk factor above and beyond the protective mechanism of psychological resilience. Results underscore the importance of developing preventive strategies and interventions specifically targeting IU to mitigate the potential adverse psychological effects of the pandemic.

Theoretical background: Social anxiety during adolescence is often linked to deficits in emotion regulation, which can contribute to heightened negative affect and diminished positive affect in everyday life. Objective: This study investigated whether three emotion-regulation strategies – acceptance, suppression, and rumination – mediate the relationship between social anxiety and daily affect in adolescents. Method: A sample of 47 adolescents completed ecological momentary assessments over 14 days. Social anxiety was assessed as a trait, while daily positive and negative affect as well as emotion regulation strategies were measured multiple times per day. Results: Multilevel structural equation models showed that social anxiety was significantly associated with lower acceptance of positive and negative emotions, higher suppression of negative emotions, and increased rumination. Acceptance of positive emotions mediated the link between social anxiety and reduced positive affect, while rumination mediated the link with negative affect. Discussion and conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of addressing both positive and negative emotional experiences and their regulation in the field of social anxiety in adolescents.

Background: Adolescents frequently experience heightened social fears, including fear of positive evaluation (FPE), which has recently been recognized as a distinct contributor to social anxiety and emotion regulation difficulties. However, little is known about how these fears unfold in daily life. This study investigated how FPE and fear of negative evaluation (FNE) relate to affect, reactions to positive feedback, and emotion regulation in adolescents' everyday experiences. Methods: Eighty adolescents from the general population (14 – 18 years) completed baseline measures of social anxiety, FPE, and FNE, followed by a 14-day ecological momentary assessment with 4 daily assessments (k = 3,423). Participants reported on praise experiences, affect, and ER strategies including acceptance, suppression, and rumination.Results: Multilevel structural equation models showed that FPE was associated with greater negative affect in general, as well as increased negative affect stemming from positive feedback. It also predicted greater use of suppression of positive and negative emotions, reduced acceptance of positive and negative emotions, as well as rumination. Acceptance of positive and negative emotions mediated the effects of FPE on positive affect, whereas suppression of positive emotions and rumination mediated its effects on negative affect. After controlling for FPE, FNE did not emerge as a significant predictor of affect or ER difficulties.Conclusions: FPE plays a distinct and pervasive role in adolescents’ affective and regulatory functioning. Addressing FPE in assessment and treatment may be essential for improving outcomes in socially anxious youth.