New research reveals links between social anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation in adolescents

Adolescents

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New research shows that adolescents who experience higher levels of social anxiety symptoms are more likely to report suicidal thoughts and other depressive symptoms two years later.

The University of East Anglia-led research sheds light on the urgent need for early interventions to tackle social anxiety in young people. The study ‘Social anxiety symptoms and their relationship with suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms in adolescents: a prospective study’ was published in JCPP progress.

Lead author Dr. Kenny Chiu, clinical lecturer in clinical psychology at UEA’s Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies, said: “Social anxiety disorder (SAD) often begins during adolescence and manifests as intense anxiety and discomfort in social situations.

“This study provides valuable insights into how symptoms of social anxiety can pose risks for developing other major mental health problems if left unaddressed.”

Second author Prof. Argyris Stringaris, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at University College London, said: “Our findings suggest that tackling social anxiety early may be crucial in preventing the development of suicidal thoughts and other depressive symptoms.”

Depressive symptoms after one year of study also partially explained the link between early social anxiety and later depressive symptoms.

The last author Dr. Eleanor Leigh, MRC Clinician Scientist Fellow at the University of Oxford and Honorary Associate Professor at University College London, said: “Our findings highlight that social anxiety plays an important role in the persistence of depressive symptoms in adolescents.”

The study builds on a meta-analytic review led by Dr. Eleanor Leigh, Dr. Kenny Chiu and Dr. Elizabeth Ballard, which highlighted the lack of longitudinal research on the relationship between social anxiety and suicidal ideation in adolescents.

The study analyzed data from the Wellcome Trust Neuroscience in Psychiatry Network (NSPN) 2,400 cohort dataset.

More than 2,400 young people aged 14 to 24 from the London and Cambridgeshire areas were recruited for this accelerated longitudinal study between 2012 and 2017.

The participants were assessed over a two-year period, once at the beginning, again a year later and the last at the end of two years.

Dr. Chiu said, “Such a discovery would not have been possible without the NSPN consortium, which provides robust data accessible to researchers in the field of child and adolescent mental health.”

More information:
Symptoms of social anxiety and their relationship with suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms in adolescents: a prospective study, JCPP progress (2024).

Presented by the University of East Anglia


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