The prediction of social anxiety in adolescents based on meta cognitive beliefs, mindfulness and fear of negative evaluation

Social anxiety in adolescents is prevalent. Relying on the theoretical foundations, this study was conducted with the aim of prognosis the social anxiety in adolescents based on metacognitive beliefs, mindfulness and fear of negative evaluation. The present study is descriptive-cross-sectional and correlational. The statistical population of the present study includes all male and female students of the third grade of secondary education who study at high schools in the Varamin city of during the academic year of 1963-96. 329 people were selected by cluster-multistage sampling. To collect data, Wales’s meta-cognitive beliefs questionnaire (MCQ-30), Fifth Mindfulness Knowledge Questionnaire (FFMQ), Negative Fear Scale (BFNE-S) and Social anxiety Conor Questionnaire (SPI) were used. Then, the data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analysis. The results of Pearson correlation coefficient indicated that there was a significant relationship between metacognitive beliefs, mindfulness and fear of evaluation with social anxiety in adolescents. Stepwise regression analysis confirms the role of predictor variables in social anxiety. In general, meta-cognitive beliefs, mindfulness and fear of evaluating predicted 17 percent of social anxiety changes in teens. It seems that metacognitive beliefs, mindfulness and fear of negative evaluation have an independent role in social anxiety in adolescents.