How Indebtedness Affects Social Anxiety Among Chinese University Students: The Moderating Role of Renqing in the Mediation of Psychological Inflexibility

OBJECTIVE: Social anxiety serves as a significant indicator of poor interpersonal adaptation among university students. This study explores the relationship between indebtedness and social anxiety, along with the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: A total of 547 Chinese university students (mean=19.33, standard deviation=1.95) participated in the study by completing questionnaires, including the Trait Indebtedness Scale, Social Avoidance and Distress Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, and Renqing Questionnaire. RESULTS: The results revealed that indebtedness positively predicted social anxiety among university students. Psychological inflexibility was found to mediate the relationship between indebtedness and social anxiety. Furthermore, only the renqing norm played a crucial moderating role, significantly enhancing the relationship between indebtedness and psychological inflexibility. However, this effect varied notably across individuals, depending on their levels of indebtedness. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the importance of the facilitating role of indebtedness on social anxiety and its underlying mechanisms. Particularly under the moderation of renqing norm, the ways in which indebtedness exacerbates psychological inflexibility and subsequently leads to social anxiety exhibit certain differences among individuals with varying levels of indebtedness.