Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Ángel Prieto-Fidalgo1, Anne C. Miers2 and Esther Calvete1
1 Universidad de Deusto,
2 Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research
Background: Interpretation bias (IB) and safety behaviors (SB) are maintenance mechanisms of social anxiety (SA). However, few studies have examined the role of IB and SB together in explaining SA. The objective of this study was to determine whether SB explains the association between IB and SA. To evaluate these variables, the Adolescents’ Interpretation and Beliefs Questionnaire (AIBQ 2.0) and the Social Phobia Safety Behaviors Scale (SPSBS) needed to be adapted for Spanish adolescents and young people. Method: 826 Spanish vocational training students (60% males, 14–28 years old) completed a measure of SA and the AIBQ 2.0 and SPSBS. Results: Path analysis showed that IB in offline scenarios was associated with SA through SB. IB in offline situations, but not in online situations, was directly associated with SA. As expected, the AIBQ 2.0 showed a two-dimensional structure and good internal consistency. The SPSBS demonstrated a unidimensional structure and good internal consistency. Conclusions: In the absence of longitudinal studies, the data are compatible with the possible mediating role of SB in the association between IB and SA. Both instruments (AIBQ 2.0 and SPSBS) exhibited good psychometric properties for Spanish students.
Sesgos de Interpretación en Escenarios Sociales y Ansiedad Social: el Rol de las Conductas de Seguridad. Antecedentes: Aun considerándose los sesgos de interpretación (IB) y las conductas de seguridad (SB) mecanismos mantenedores de la ansiedad social (SA), son escasos los estudios que examinan estas variables en conjunto. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar si las SB explican la asociación entre IB y la SA. Para evaluar estas variables se requirió adaptar el Adolescents’ Interpretation and the Beliefs Questionnaire (AIBQ 2.0) y el Social Phobia Safety Behaviors Scale (SPSBS) en adolescentes y jóvenes españoles. Método: 826 estudiantes españoles de formación profesional (60% hombres, 14-28 años) completaron una medida de SA y el AIBQ 2.0 y SPSBS. Resultados: El path analysis mostró que las IB en escenarios offline se asociaron con SA a través de SB. Las IB en situaciones offline, pero no online, se asociaron directamente con SA. El AIBQ 2.0 mostró una estructura de dos dimensiones y consistencia interna aceptable. El SPSBS mostró una estructura unidimensional y buena consistencia interna. Conclusiones: A falta de estudios longitudinales, los datos son compatibles con el posible rol mediador de las SB respecto a la relación entre IB y SA. Ambos instrumentos (AIBQ 2.0 y SPSBS) disponen de buenas propiedades psicométricas en estudiantes españoles.
SPANISH
ENGLISH
https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2021.406