Author(s)

Hu Tingting ^1,2, Lu Jihu ², Wang Xiaowei ³, Wang Yan ⁴

Affiliation(s)

¹ Philippine Christian University, Manila, Philippine
² Shanxi Datong University, Datong, Shanxi, China
³ Taiyuan University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
⁴ Jinzhong University, Jinzhong, Shanxi, China

Corresponding Author

Hu Tingting

ABSTRACT

This study aims to elucidate the mechanism of interpersonal trust in relation to social anxiety (SA) by constructing a mediation model, grounded in the cognitive-behavioral model of social anxiety and the trust regulation model, to identify the mediating role of fear of negative evaluation (FNE) between interpersonal trust and social anxiety. A survey was administered to 561 college students to evaluate their interpersonal trust, fear of unfavorable appraisal, and social anxiety through questionnaires. The findings indicated that: (1) Interpersonal trust exhibited a significant negative correlation with both fear of negative assessment and social anxiety, whereas fear of negative evaluation had a large positive correlation with social anxiety. (2) Fear of negative evaluation partially mediated the relationship between interpersonal trust and social anxiety among college students, indicating that interpersonal trust not only directly affects social anxiety but also indirectly affects it through fear of negative evaluation. These findings not only help alleviate social anxiety in college students but also make mental health education more targeted and effective.

KEYWORDS

Interpersonal trust; social anxiety; fear of negative evaluation; college students

CITE THIS PAPER

Hu Tingting, Lu Jihu, Wang Xiaowei, Wang Yan, The Relationship between Interpersonal Trust and Social Anxiety among College Students: An Analysis of the Mediating Effect of Fear of Negative Evaluation. Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology (2024) Vol. 8: 206-213. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/aetp.2024.080626.

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