(PS2-B39) Social Anxiety, Perceptions of Social Support, and Associations with Social Behavior During the Chatroom Task

Over 80% of Americans aged 18-49 years use social media sites, with the majority visiting their preferred platforms daily (Pew Research Center, 2021). However, social media use may have differential impact on and be impacted by an individual’s cognitive and emotional experiences. Individuals with social anxiety (SA) may be particularly drawn to online social interactions, given that social media platforms may allow for less anxiety-inducing social interactions (Erwin et al., 2004; Pierce, 2009). Relatedly, socially anxious individuals may seek online social interactions to compensate for their lack of real-world social support (Weidman et al., 2012; O’Day & Heimberg, 2021), or their perceived lack of support.

Thus, the present study aimed to explore whether social anxiety (SA) and perceptions of social support (PSS) may influence social behavior. Specifically, we aimed to explore whether SA and/or PSS are associated with: 1) individuals’ mention of social activities while developing a social media profile, 2) acceptance or rejection of prospective chat partners during the Chatroom task, 3) participants’ stated approaches to selecting prospective chat partners. Participants included 303 emerging adults (M = 19.39, SD = 1.44; 74.26% female; 81.19% White; 10.89% Hispanic/Latinx). Participants first completed self-report questionnaires measuring social anxiety (Screen for Adult Anxiety Related Disorders [SCAARED] SA subscale; Angulo et al., 2017) and perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support [MSPSS]; Zimet et al., 1988). Participants then completed the Chatroom task, a computerized task designed to simulate online social interactions (Guyer et al., 2008). As part of the task, participants created a social media profile, selected prospective chat partners, and were asked to describe their approach to selecting prospective chat partners.

Across the full sample, 57% of participants explicitly mentioned any kind of social activity in their social media profile. Those who mentioned social activities had significantly lower SCAARED SA scores (t(299) = -2.83, p = .01) and significantly higher MSPSS total scores (t(299) = 2.33, p = .02) than those who did not. Across the full sample, participants accepted an average 43% of prospective chat partners, with a standard deviation of 27% and range of 0-100%. There were not significant associations between the proportion of prospective chat partners accepted and SCAARED SA or MSPSS total scores. Of the full sample, Approach 1 (“I selected many people because I wanted to maximize my chances of chatting with someone”) was most commonly endorsed (26%). There were not significant differences in the endorsement of approaches based on SCAARED SA score, but there were significant differences based on MSPSS total score (t(301) = -2.04, p = .04). Specifically, participants who endorsed Approach 1 reported higher PSS (MSPSS total) on average (M = 5.76, SD = 0.86) than those who did not (M = 5.50, SD = 1.02). These findings provide insight into how SA and PSS may influence online social behavior. A better understanding of how individual differences in SA and PSS influence (online) social behavior might lead to novel intervention and prevention efforts.