WWeesstteerrnn MMiicchhiiggaann UUnniivveerrssiittyy SScchhoollaarrWWoorrkkss aatt WWMMUU Dissertations Graduate College 12-1999 CCooggnniittiivvee CCoommppoonneennttss ooff SSoocciiaall AAnnxxiieettyy:: AA CCoommppaarriissoonn ooff EEllddeerrllyy aanndd YYoouunngg AAdduullttss Jeffery Alan McNeil Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Counseling Commons, Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons, and the Gerontology Commons RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn McNeil, Jeffery Alan, "Cognitive Components of Social Anxiety: A Comparison of Elderly and Young Adults" (1999). Dissertations. 1519. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/1519 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COGNITIVE COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL ANXIETY: A COMPARISON OF ELDERLY AND YOUNG ADULTS by Jefi&ey Alan McNeil A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Western Mchigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. COGNITIVE COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL ANXIETY: A COMPARISON OF ELDERLY AND YOUNG ADULTS Jeffrey Alan McNeil, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, 1999 The present study investigated the underlying cognitive elements of social anxiety in elderly and young adult samples. The young adult participants in this study were 99 undergraduate students from a Midwestern university, recruited through scheduled undergraduate classes from both the Communication and Education Departments. Fifty elderly participants from two independent living senior residence centers were recruited through organizational meetings and contacts coordinated through the housing director or the wellness director. One senior residential center was located in the Midwest, while the other was in the Southeast. The study employed well recognized self-report cognitive measures to assess social anxiety: the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE), Self-Consciousness Scale (SCS), and the Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT). The Social Anxiety subscale of the Self-Consciousness Scale was used as the dependent variable, and the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale was employed to calculate convergent validity for the elderly sample. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) was administered to assess psychological symptoms in the elderly sample. The Somatization subscale of the BSI was used to test for social anxiety with the elderly population. The Depression subscale (BSI-D) was used as a variable in the analysis of cognitive differences of social anxiety between the elderly and young adult sample. Regression analyses were employed to investigate the cognitive differences between the elderly and young adults on measures of social Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. anxiety and to identify the cognitive components of social anxiety for both samples. It was found that social anxiety levels for young and elderly adults were not significantly different. In comparison to elderly adults, young adults reported significantly higher levels of the cognitive components of social anxiety. It was discovered that the cognitive components explained a greater amount of the variance in social anxiety scores for the elderly adult participants than that of the young adult participants. The cognitive specificity of social anxiety was confirmed for this sample of elderly adults, while the sample of young adults’ scores on depression and anxiety were significantly correlated. Discussion concerning the results of the investigation is presented and integrated with the current literature. Implications for clinical applications and future research are also provided. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter tace, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quaiity of the copy submitted. 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Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 UMÏ Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number; 9954045 UMI* UMI Microform9954045 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Jeffrey Alan McNeil 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my late grandmother, Blanche S. Michelson, my intellectual mentor and best friend. She inspired me to pursue higher education and encouraged me to develop my critical thinking abilities. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my wife, Teresa, for her love, insight, and patience. Thanks to my parents for their love, inspiration, and unwavering support. I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Robert Betz and the other members of my committee for their feedback, input, and guidance. Special thanks is also extended to Garin Ness for her hard work and professionalism. Finally, I would like to recognize Connie Bowman for her valuable assistance and support in the recruitment of participants. Jeffrey Alan McNeil Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.................................................................................... ü LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................. vü CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW.................................. 1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 Elderly and Anxiety....................................................................... 1 Cognitive Model ............................................................................ 2 Literature Review.................................................................................. 3 Social Anxiety and the Elderly....................................................... 3 General Cognitive Tenets of Social Anxiety.................................. 5 Social Anxiety and Social Phobia: Implications From Clinical Samples............................................................................. 8 Social Anxiety in the Elderly Compared to Young Adults 10 Conclusion................................. 16 Statement of Purpose ............................................................................ 17 Hypotheses............................................................................................ 18 n. METHOD .................................................................................................. 20 Power Analysis for Sample Size ........................................................... 20 Instrumentation...................................................................................... 21 The Brief Symptom Inventory....................................................... 22 The Revised Self-Consciousness Questionnaire: Public Self-Consciousness Subscale and Social Anxiety Subscale ............................................................... 24 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.