Associations of social anxiety and self-esteem across six months for persons living with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
OBJECTIVE
Social anxiety is commonly found in schizophrenia and is linked with heightened symptoms and lower self-esteem. The purpose of this paper is to examine how social anxiety and self-esteem influence one another over time.


METHODS
We have assessed social anxiety, symptoms, and self-esteem at two points, six months apart, for 39 participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.


RESULTS
Concurrent measures of social anxiety and self-esteem were closely correlated with one another. Multiple regressions indicated that baseline self-esteem was significantly correlated with social anxiety six months later, independent of the influence of social anxiety at baseline. Social anxiety at baseline did not predict self-esteem at six months when baseline self-esteem was controlled for statistically.


CONCLUSIONS
Lower self-esteem may be a risk factor for the development of social anxiety in individuals with schizophrenia. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. plysaker@iupui.edu
Paul H
PH
Lysaker
Jamie M
JM
Ringer
Louanne W
LW
Davis
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors