title: Understanding heterogeneity in social anxiety disorder: dependency and self-criticism moderate fear responses to interpersonal cues.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined how the personality traits of self-criticism and dependency moderated the effects of situational interpersonal cues on fear during interpersonal interactions among individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD). We hypothesized that self-criticism would moderate the fear-inducing effects of situational self-consciousness and that dependency would moderate the fear-inducing effects of situational emotional insecurity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty SAD patients (Mage = 29.23) and matched community controls (Mage = 28.93) completed event-contingent record forms after each significant social interaction of over 5 min for a 20-day period. There were 20 female patients and 20 male patients in each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Event-level self-consciousness was more strongly associated with elevations in fear among socially anxious patients who reported higher levels of self-criticism, while event-level emotional security was more strongly associated with decreases in fear among SAD patients who reported higher levels of dependency. These interactions were not found in the community sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings support the application of personality-vulnerability models to understanding fear during social interactions in patients with SAD. Results also have implications for psychotherapeutic treatments of SAD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Daniel C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Kopala-Sibley
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Zuroff
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Moskowitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D003463:Cues; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires