Mediating role of social interaction anxiety on the relationship between Generalized Anxiety Disorder and quality of social interaction

Introduction: Experiential social factors of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have received little empirical attention. This study examined the mediating role of social interaction anxiety on the relationship between experiential qualities of social interaction and GAD status. Method: College student participants (N = 153) engaged in a one-on-one in-vivo social interaction with a novel adult conversational partner (i.e., confederate interviewer). Participants were asked to recount an emotional event in their lives in as much detail as possible. Subsequently, participants answered self-report questions measuring comfort, reluctance, rapport, and mood disturbance experienced while interacting with the interviewer. Results: Participants with GAD symptoms reported greater symptoms of social anxiety and lower levels of comfort while interacting with the interviewer. Participants with GAD symptoms further exhibited greater mood disturbance immediately following this social interaction. Social interaction anxiety mediated the relations between GAD status predicting mood disturbance and level of comfort experienced while interacting with an interviewer. Discussion: More specifically, GAD status was associated with greater symptoms of social interaction anxiety, which in turn, were associated with greater mood disturbance and lower levels of comfort experienced in a social interaction. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.