Internet communication and social anxiety among different social groups of adolescents

The article presents the results of a study of social anxiety and social anhedonia symptoms in adolescents from different social groups, depending on channels of communication with other people they prefer — face-to-face contact, social networking, smartphones, Skype and various sites on the Internet. The study involved 110 people from two Moscow colleges and orphanage. In this study we have used complex of four methods, one of which — “Questionnaire of the channels of social communication” — used for the first time. Based on these results it is concluded that the most common ways of communication in mod-ern adolescents — face-to-face contact and social networks, which are used by them about equally often, however, the majority of adolescents prefer face-to¬face contact to all other channels of communication. Adolescents who prefer face-to-face contact to all other ways of communications, are more prosperous in terms of the two questionnaires of social anxiety (scale of social avoidance and distress — SADS; Watson, Friend, 1969; brief scale of fear of social evaluation — BENE; Leary, 1983) and the scale of the social anhedonia (RSAS; Eckblad et al, 1982) and ones who prefer to communicate in social networks have higher rates in all three questionnaires. It is suggested that the relationship between social anxiety and the frequency of use of social networking is not direct, but mediated by avoiding face-to-face contact. The mechanism of anxiety response leads to amplification of avoidance of face-to-face contact in everyday social situations and further strengthen of social anxiety. This article was prepared with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 14–18–03461).

1. Bogdanovskaya I.M., Proekt Yu.L., Bogdanovskaya A.B. Osobennosti formirovaniya lichnosti v podrostkovom vozraste kak indikatory kachestva obrazovatel’noi sredy [Features of personality formation in adolescence as indicators of the quality of the educational environment]. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie [Psychological Science and Education], 2013, no 6, pp. 49—57. (In Russ., Abstr. In Engl.).
2. Bogomazova K.A. Sovremennyi chelovek i sovremennye tekhnologii: kto kogo? [Ele­ktronnyi resurs] [The modern man and modern technology: who wins?]. Psikho­logicheskaya gazeta [Psychological paper], 14.07.2014. Available at: http://www.psy­gazeta.ru/feed/3862/ (Accessed 04.11.2015). (In Russ.).
3. Voiskunskii A.E. Issledovanie Interneta v psikhologii [Internet research in psychology]. In Semenova I. (ed.) Internet i rossiiskoe soobshchestvo [Internet and Russian Soci­ety]. Moscow: Publ. Gendal’f, 2002, pp. 235—250.
4. Volikova S.V., Avakyan T.V. Svyaz’ sotsial’noi angedonii i sotsial’noi trevozhnosti s trudnostyami mentalizatsii u detei-sirot [Correlation of social anhedonia and social anxiety with difficulties in mentalization orphans]. Konsul’tativnaya psikhologiya i psikhoterapiya [Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy], 2014, Vol. 22, no 4, pp. 155—167. (In Russ., Abstr. In Engl.).
5. Garanyan N.G., Shchukin D.A. Chastye sotsial’nye sravneniya kak faktor emotsional’noi dezadaptatsii studentov [Frequent social comparison and emotional maladjustment among students]. Konsul’tativnaya psikhologiya i psikhoterapiya [Counseling Psychol­ogy and Psychotherapy], 2014, Vol. 22, no 4, pp. 182—206. (In Russ., Abstr. In Engl.).
6. Gordilov A.V. Virtual’noe obshchenie i problema samoregulyatsii informatsionno­kommunikativnogo povedeniya lichnosti v internet-soobshchestvakh [Virtual com­munication and the problem of self-regulation and communicative personality be­havior in online communities]. Materialy mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii “Informatsionno-kommunikatsionnoe prostranstvo i chelovek” [Pro­ceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Information and communication space and the man”]. Penza — Moscow — Vitebsk, 15–16 April, 2011. Research and Publishing Center “Sociosphere”.
7. Zhilinskaya A.V. Internet kak resurs dlya resheniya zadach podrostkovogo vozrasta: obzor psikhologicheskikh issledovanii [Elektronnyi resurs] [Internet as a resource for solving the problems of adolescence: a review of psychological research]. Psik­hologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie psyedu.ru [Psychological Science and Education psyedu.ru], 2014, Vol. 6, no. 1. Available at: https://psyjournals.ru/psyedu_ru/2014/ n1/67976.shtml (Accessed 04.11.2015). (In Russ., Abstr. In Engl.).
8. Kobyzeva V.O. Osobennosti virtual’nogo obshcheniya v povsednevnykh kommunika­tivnykh praktikakh molodezhi [Elektronnyi resurs] [Features of virtual communica­tion in everyday communication practices of young people]. Sovremennye issledo­vaniya sotsial’nykh problem (elektronnyi nauchnyi zhurnal) [Modern studies of social problems (the electronic scientific journal)], 2010, no 1. Available at: http://sisp.nkras. ru/e-ru/issues/2010/no1.html (Accessed 04.11.2015). (In Russ.).
9. Kondrashkin A.V., Kirillova T.O. Sotsial’naya situatsiya razvitiya sovremen­nogo podrostka v kontekste modeli sotsial’no-psikhologicheskoi pomoshchi vosstanovitel’nom podkhode [Elektronnyi resurs] [Social situation of develop­ment of a contemporary adolescent in the context of the social and psychological support model in restorative approach justice]. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obra­zovanie PSYEDU.ru [Psychological Science and Education psyedu.ru], 2012, no 4. Available at: https://psyjournals.ru/psyedu_ru/2012/n4/57076.shtml (Accessed 4.11.2015). (In Russ., Abstr. in Engl.).
10. Mararitsa L.V., Antonova N.A, Eritsyan K.Yu. Obshchenie v internete: potentsial’naya ugroza ili resurs dlya lichnosti [Elektronnyi resurs] [Internet Communication: Po­tential Threat or Resources for a Person]. Peterburgskii psikhologicheskii zhurnal [St. Petersburg psychological journal], 2013, no. 5. Available at: ojs.spbu.ru/index.php/ psy/article/download/47/23 (Accessed 4.11.2015). (In Russ.).
11. Nikitina I.V., Kholmogorova A.B. Sotsial’naya trevozhnost’: soderzhanie ponyatiya i osnovnye napravleniya izucheniya. Chast’ 1 [Social anxiousness: content of concept and main directions of investigation. Part. 1]. Sotsial’naya i klinicheskaya psikhi­atriya [Social and Clinical Psychiatry], 2010, Vol. 20 no. 1, pp. 80–85. (In Russ., Abstr. in Engl.).
12. Novaya gruppa podrostkov s «nevidimym» riskom psikhopatologii i suitsidal’nogo po­vedeniya: nakhodki issledovaniya SEYLE [Elektronnyi resurs] [A newly identified group of adolescents at “invisible” risk for psychopathology and suicidal behavior: findings from the SEYLE study]. Carli V., Hoven C.W., Wasserman C. et al. In Kur­sakova A.A. (ed.) World Psychiatry (na russkom)[World Psychiatry (In Russian)], 2014, Vol. 13, no. 1. Available at: http://psychiatr.ru/magazine/wpa (Accessed 4.11.2015). (In Russ.).
13. Pavlova T.S., Krasnova V.V. Sovremennye teorii sotsial’noi trevozhnosti v detskom i podrostkovom vozraste [Elektronnyi resurs] [Modern theories of social anxiety in childhood and adolescence ages]. Sovremennaya zarubezhnaya psikhologiya [Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology], 2014, Vol. 3, no 3, pp. 27—40. Available at: http:// psyjournals.ru/jmfp/2014/n3/72698.shtml (Accessed 4.11.2015). (In Russ., Abstr. in Engl.).
14. Pleshakov V.A. Perspektiva razvitiya teorii kibersotsializatsii cheloveka v XXI veke [The prospect of development of the theory of human kibersotsializatsii in the XXI cen­tury]. Idei i ideally [Ideas and Ideals], 2011, Vol. 2, no 3(9), pp. 47—62. (In Russ.).
15. Poimannye odnoi set’yu: sotsial’no-psikhologicheskoe issledovanie predstavlenii de­tei i vzroslykh ob internete [Caught by one network: the socio-psychological study of representations of children and adults about the internet]. Soldatova G.V., Zo­tova E.Yu., Chekalina A.I., Gostimskaya O.S. In Soldatova G.V. (ed.), Moscow, 2011, 176 p.
16. Psikhologicheskaya dezadaptatsiya u studentov sistemy srednego i vysshego professional’nogo obrazovaniya: sravnitel’nyi analiz [Psychological maladjustment in students of secondary and higher education: a comparative analysis]. Gorcha­kova V.A., Landa L.A., Matytsyna V.A., Krasnova V.V., Klimenkova E.N., Khol­mogorova A.B. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie [Psychological Science and Education], 2013, no 4, pp. 5–15. (In Russ., Abstr. in Engl.).
17. Soldatova G.V., Zotova E.Yu. Rossiiskie i evropeiskie shkol’niki: problemy onlain-sotsi­alizatsii [Elektronnyi resurs] [Russian and European students: problems of online so­cialization]. Deti v informatsionnom obshchestve [Children in the Information Society], 2011, no 7. Available at: http://detionline.com/assets/files/journal/7/12research_7. pdf (Accessed 4.11.2015). (In Russ.).
18. Soldatova G.V., Kropaleva E.Yu. Osobennosti rossiiskikh shkol’nikov kak pol’zovatelei interneta [Elektronnyi resurs] [Features of of Russian schoolchildren how Inter­net users]. Deti v informatsionnom obshchestve [Children in the Information Society], 2009, no 2. Available at: http://detionline.com/assets/files/journal/2/research1_2. pdf (Accessed 4.11.2015). (In Russ.).
19. Soldatova G.V., Rasskazova E.I., Zotova E.Yu. Tipy pol’zovatelei i ikh deyatel’nost’ v internete [Elektronnyi resurs] [The types of users and their activity on the Internet]. Deti v informatsionnom obshchestve [Children in the Information Society], 2013—2014, no 15. Available at: http://detionline.com/assets/files/journal/15/Issledovaniya.pdf (Accessed 4.11.2015). (In Russ.).
20. Kholmogorova A.B. Priroda narushenii sotsial’nogo poznaniya pri psikhicheskoi pa­tologii: kak primirit’ «bio» i «sotsio»? [The nature of the social cognition violations in mental disorders: How to reconcile biological and social]. Konsul’tativnaya psik­hologiya i psikhoterapiya [Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy], 2014, Vol. 22, no 4, pp. 8—29. (In Russ., Abstr. in Engl.).
21. Banerjee R., Henderson L. Social-Cognitive Factors in Childhood Social Anxiety: A Preliminary Investigation. Social Development, 2001, Vol. 10, pp. 558—572.
22. Brown C. Are We Becoming More Socially Awkward? An Analysis of the Rela­tionship Between Technological Communication Use and Social Skills in Col­lege Students [Elektronnyi resurs]. Psychology Honors Papers, 2013, Paper
23. 40. Available at: http://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/psychhp/40 (Accessed 4.11.2015). Bruch M.A., Fallon M., Heimberg R.G. Social phobia and difficulties in occupational adjustment. Journal of counseling psychology, 2003, Vol. 50, pp. 109—117.
24. Knowing when not to use the Internet: Shyness and adolescents’ on-line and off-line interactions with friends. Laghi F., Schneider B.H., Vitoroulis I. at al. Computers in Human Behavior, 2013, no 29, pp. 51—57.
25. Masia C.L., Klein R.G., Storch E.A. & Corda B. School based behavioral treatment for social anxiety disorder in adolescents: Results of pilot study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2001, Vol. 40, pp. 780—786.
26. OldmeadowJ.A., Quinn S., Kowert R. Attachment style, social skills, and Facebook use amongst adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 2013, Vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 1142— 1149.
27. Peleg O. Social anxiety and social adaptation among adolescents at three age levels. Social Psychology of Education, 2012, Vol. 15, pp. 207–218. doi: 10.1007/s11218­011-9164-0.
28. Pierce T. Shyness and technology: Face-to-face communication versus technological communication among teens. Computers in Human Behavior, 2009. Vol. 24, no 6, pp. 1367—1372. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.06.003.
29. Saunders P.L., Chester A. Shyness and the internet: Social problem or panacea. Com­puters in Human Behavior, 2008, Vol. 24, no 6, pp. 2649—2658.
30. Sisman B., Yoruk S., Eleren A. Social Anxiety and Usage of Online Technological Com­munication Tools among Adolescents [Elektronnyi resurs]. Journal of Economic and Social Studies, 2013, Vol. 3, no 2. Available at: http://eprints.ibu.edu.ba/2389/ Accessed 4.11.2015).
31. Schneier F.R., Blanco C., Antia S.X., Liebowitz M.R. The social anxiety spectrum. Psy­chiatr Clin North Am, 2002, no 25, pp. 757—774.