The Maintaining Factors of Social Anxiety: A Three-Group Comparison of a Clinical Sample with Highly Socially Anxious Students and Non-Anxious Students

Abstract

Background: Clark and Wells' (1995) cognitive model of social anxiety (CWM) explains the maintenance of social anxiety and has been used as a guide for treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Few studies have examined the components of the model together across different samples. Aims: This study had two distinct aims: to test the components of CWM and to examine how the variables of CWM may differ between clinical and non-clinical samples with varying levels of social anxiety. Method: Hypothesized relationships between three groups (i.e. a clinical sample of individuals diagnosed with SAD (ClinS), n = 40; socially anxious students (HSA), n = 40; and, non-anxious students (LSA), n = 40) ..