Self-Reported Acceptance of Social Anxiety Sypmtoms

167 Pages·2017·2.43 MB·English

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Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
2008
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Meagan B. MacKenzie
Wilfrid Laurier University
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MacKenzie, Meagan B., "Self-Reported Acceptance of Social Anxiety Sypmtoms: Development and
Validation of the Social Anxiety-Acceptance and Action Questionnaire" (2008). Theses and Dissertations
(Comprehensive). 896.
https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/896
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Self-Reported Acceptance of Social Anxiety i
SELF-REPORTED ACCEPTANCE OF SOCIAL ANXIETY SYMPTOMS:
DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE SOCIAL ANXIETY - ACCEPTANCE
AND ACTION QUESTIONNAIRE
by
Meagan B. MacKenzie
Hons. B.Sc, Trent University, 2004
THESIS
Submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for Master of Arts
Wilfrid Laurier University
2008
© Meagan B. MacKenzie 2008
Self-Reported Acceptance of Social Anxiety ii
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions have been used in the treatment of social anxiety
with initial success. Mindfulness is defined as an awareness and acceptance of the present
moment. Acceptance when used as a coping strategy is related to reduced distress during
anxiety-provoking tasks and increased willingness to experience unpleasant events. The
purpose of this research was to examine acceptance, willingness and distress in the
context of social anxiety and was threefold. The first study was designed to develop an
instrument designed to assess acceptance specific to social anxiety. In Study 1, a sample
of 352 undergraduates completed the initial 56-item pool of the Social Anxiety -
Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (S A-AAQ) with the goal of item reduction. The
second study was designed to validate this measure and clarify the factor structure of the
SA-AAQ. Participants (n = 339) completed the SA-AAQ in addition to measures of
mindfulness and social anxiety. Results indicated that the SA-AAQ is a reliable and valid
measure of acceptance specific to social anxiety. The third study was an experimental
manipulation that was designed to examine the relationships among acceptance of social
anxiety symptoms, willingness and distress. It was hypothesized that individuals who are
habitually higher in acceptance would experience reduced anxiety and increased
willingness in response to a speech task than those who are low in acceptance. In
addition, it was believed that inducing state acceptance using brief instructions would
result in decreased distress and increased willingness as compared to suppression and
control groups. The results demonstrated that trait acceptance of social anxiety symptoms
was associated with lower levels of distress following the speech. It was also found that
inducing state acceptance led to similar levels of distress as inducing suppression. Further
Self-Reported Acceptance of Social Anxiety iii
research is warranted to further clarify this finding. In sum, these three studies combine to
provide support that this instrument is a valid measure of the construct that it was
designed to assess, namely acceptance specific to social anxiety. The SA-AAQ could be
of benefit for assessing mechanisms of change within mindfulness-based treatment
protocols for social anxiety, in addition to contributing to the mindfulness literature.
Self-Reported Acceptance of Social Anxiety iv
Acknowledgements
I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to my advisor and mentor, Nancy
Kocovski, for her unfailing support, dedication and guidance. Thank you for your
constant patience and inspiration throughout this process.
I would also like to thank my committee members, Lara Kammrath and Pam
Sadler, for their insightful feedback and encouragement. Your suggestions have been
instrumental, and I am indebted.
I am appreciative of the support and assistance from everyone involved in the lab
at Wilfrid Laurier, especially Sue Battista, Andrea Dunn, Alice Maguire, and Greg
Williams. I couldn't have completed any of this without you, it's been unforgettable.
A final, profound thank you goes to my family and close friends. Your
unwavering confidence in my abilities leaves me amazed. Thank you for all of the love
and support.
Self-Reported Acceptance of Social Anxiety v
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Study 1 26
Method 26
Results 29
Discussion 33
Study 2 34
Method 34
Results 39
Discussion 54
Study 3 58
Method 59
Results 67
Discussion 85
General Discussion 89
References 98
Appendices 115
Self-Reported Acceptance of Social Anxiety vi
List of Tables
Table 1 - Factor Loadings of the Social Anxiety - Acceptance and Action
Questionnaire 32
Table 2 - Descriptive Statistics 40
Table 3 - Factor Loadings of the SA-AAQ 43
Table 4 - Correlations between SA-AAQ and Mindfulness Measures 45
Table 5 - Correlations between SA-AAQ and Social Anxiety Measures 46
Table 6 - Regression coefficients for hierarchical regression examining the SA-AAQ 47
Table 7 - Regression coefficients for hierarchical regression examining the LSRDS.. 49
Table 8 - Correlations between SA-AAQ and Impulsivity Measures 50
Table 9 - Regression coefficients for hierarchical regression examining the BIS 52
Table 10 - Regression coefficients for hierarchical regression examining the WBSL. 52
Table 11 - Demographic Information by Condition 61
Table 12 - Descriptive Statistics 69
Table 13 - Manipulation Checks By Condition 70
Table 14 - Social Anxiety Baseline Measures By Condition 71
Table 15 - Descriptive Statistics for Distress Variables 73
Table 16 - Descriptive Statistics for Physiological Measures 75
Table 17 - Correlations Between Distress and Willingness Across Conditions 77
Table 18 - Correlations between Measures in Study 3 Across all Conditions 78
Table 19 - Correlations between Measures for Acceptance Condition 79
Table 20 - Correlations between Measures for Suppression Condition 80
Table 21 - Correlations between Measures for Control Condition 81
Table 22 - Regression coefficients for hierarchical regression examining post-speech
distress 83
Self-Reported Acceptance of Social Anxiety vii
List of Figures
Figure 1 - Initial Scree Plot for Study 1 31
Figure 2 - Scree Plot of the Final Version of the SA-AAQ 42
Figure 3 - Procedural Diagram for Study 3 65