Depressive State and Social Anxiety in Adolescents: The Role of Family Interactions

Abstract

Depression and social anxiety in adolescents may be examined based on parental acceptance and rejection. The scale of quality of family interactions, the social anxiety scale and the state depression scale were used. Mothers’ rejection and family satisfaction, rated by adolescents (N = 324), are significant predictors of the depressive state, while satisfaction with family is a significant predictor of social anxiety. The depressive state is a significant mediator between family interactions and social anxiety. The prevention of the depressive state and social anxiety in adolescents should be based on increasing the quality of family interactions.

Keywords:

• Family interactions
• depressive state
• social anxiety
• adolescents
• prevention

Author contributions

Both authors contributed equally to this work.

Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to a journalist Ivana Milovanović for her valuable comments on previous draft of this paper.