Positive Affect Predicts Avoidance Goals in Social Interaction Anxiety: Testing a Hierarchical Model of Social Goals

Abstract

Models of self-regulation suggest that social goals may contribute to interpersonal and affective difficulties, yet little research has addressed this issue in the context of social anxiety. The present studies evaluated a hierarchical model of approach and avoidance in the context of social interaction anxiety, with affect as a mediating factor in the relationship between motivational tendencies and social goals. This model was refined in one undergraduate sample (N = 186) and cross-validated in a second sample (N = 195). The findings support hierarchical relationships between motivational tendencies, social interaction anxiety, affect, and social goals, with higher positive affect predicting fewer avoidance goals in both samples. Implications for the treatment of social interaction anxiety are discussed.

Keywords:

• social anxiety
• social goals
• approach
• avoidance
• affect

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and the University of British Columbia. The authors would like to thank Sara Yuen, Sonia Finseth, Sadaf Lotfalian, Ivan Chiu, Elisa Choi, and Carmen Gee for their assistance with data collection and preparation.

Notes

^1. The full goal coding system is available upon request.

^2. Total number of goals did not correlate with any study variables in either study (all ps>.05).

^3. CFI>.95 and RMSEA < .06 are viewed as supporting good model fit (Hu & Bentler, 1999).

^4. Significant LM tests (p < .05) were investigated to determine whether the suggested pathways were conceptually meaningful and improved model fit. Meaningful and significant pathways were added to the model.

^5. Residual error terms are omitted from all figures.

^6. Multiple groups analyses indicated that the model held across both gender and culture and continued to hold after the loadings were constrained to be equal across groups with no change in model fit in the gender, (9) = 4.21, p = .90, or culture analyses, (18) = 6.49, p = .99, suggesting that gender and culture did not affect the results.

^7. Multiple groups analysis indicated that the model held across culture and continued to hold when the loadings were constrained to be equal across groups with no change in model fit, (18) = 3.00, p = 1.00, suggesting that culture does not affect the results. The model did not, however, fit well across gender, χ ² (24) = 41.05, p = .02, CFI = .86, RMSEA = .09. Closer examination revealed that the paths linking BAS sensitivity to PA and NA were non-significant for males while the path linking PA to avoidance goals was marginal. The path linking BAS sensitivity to NA was also non-significant for females. Wald tests suggested dropping the BAS sensitivity to NA and the BAS sensitivity to PA paths for males. Importantly, these tests did not suggest dropping the PA to avoidance goals path for males.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lynn E. Alden

This manuscript is based on data from the first author's doctoral dissertation