Personality-cognitive Correlates of Social Phobia: Mediator Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty

Social phobia is considered as one of the most common anxiety disorders. The researchers have been looking for the basic mechanism behind it, since determining these factors can be influential in prevention and treatment. In recent years, some of the most important personality and cognitive correlates of social phobia including neuroticism, fear of negative evaluation, anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty have been discovered. This study aims to examine the nature of the relationship between these variables and how they are related to social phobia. 550 students studying in different faculties of Semnan University completed Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) voluntarily. Those who scored above cutoff (156 people) were given the neuroticism subscale of Eysenck questionnaire, Fear of Negative Evaluation (BFNE), and Anxiety Sensitivity (ASI) and Intolerance of Uncertainty (IUS) questionnaires. The results resulted from path analysis demonstrated that intolerance of uncertainty and fear of negative evaluation were the mediating factors in the relationship between neuroticism and symptoms related to social phobia, while anxiety sensitivity did not play this mediating role. Since this disorder is widespread and has a negative effect on people''s lives, particularly their professional lives, determining the role of intolerance of uncertainty and other correlates of social phobia in predicting this disorder can give us a better understanding of the contributing factors. Therefore, the potential use of these results is of great importance to therapists in treating the aforementioned social anxiety disorder.