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Social Anxiety and Videoconference Communication

Robertson, Ross P.
http://orcid.org/0009-0001-1810-6554
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xupsy1687705733071012

Abstract Details

2023, Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, Psychology.
Social anxiety involves excessive fear when there is a perceived threat of negative evaluation (Wong & Rapee, 2016). Individuals with social anxiety tend to use maladaptive strategies to avoid negative evaluation, such as experiential avoidance (Asher et al., 2021) and limiting intimate self-disclosure (Alden & Bieling, 1998). Recent data suggest that individuals with social anxiety tend to prefer online communication to face-to-face communication (Kamalou et al., 2019). Other studies suggest that individuals with social anxiety experience similar levels of anxiety during online and face-to-face communication (Doorley et al., 2020). It is unclear how past findings generalize to videoconference communication or face-to-face communication with a protective face mask. The purpose of the current study was to compare how individuals experience unmasked videoconference and masked face-to-face communication. Sixty-four undergraduate participants with traits of social anxiety engaged in a 45-minute conversation task. Dyads were randomly assigned to complete the task in a masked face-to-face or unmasked videoconference condition and completed measures of state anxiety, perceived threat of negative evaluation, experiential avoidance, and self-disclosure intimacy following the task. Analyses suggested the unmasked videoconference condition was associated with greater state anxiety and experiential avoidance, whereas the masked face-to-face condition was associated with greater perceived threat of negative evaluation. There was no difference between the two conditions on the self-disclosure measures. The results indicate that masked face-to face communication and unmasked videoconference communication have different effects on psychological processes associated with social anxiety.
Jennifer Phillips, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Kathryn Smith, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Nicholas Salsman, Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Chair)
67 p.
Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Cognitive Therapy; Psychology
social anxiety; videoconference; online communication; face to face; experiential avoidance; negative evaluation; experimental

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Robertson, R. P. (2023). Social Anxiety and Videoconference Communication [Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xupsy1687705733071012

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Robertson, Ross. Social Anxiety and Videoconference Communication. 2023. Xavier University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xupsy1687705733071012.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Robertson, Ross. "Social Anxiety and Videoconference Communication." Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xupsy1687705733071012

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

xupsy1687705733071012
209
© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Xavier University Psychology and OhioLINK.