During our teenage years, our peers (the people around us who are a similar age/stage in life) are a big part of our lives and can be very influential to use. It’s also a time when experiencing social anxiety is common.
Research suggests there may be some link between the two; that social anxiety and negative peer experiences can impact one another. Social anxiety can impact how we feel and behave in social situations and for some people it might make their peer relationships challenging to navigate. Also, having negative peer experiences might have consequences on how we are in ongoing social situations and/or in relationships with other people.
Our research aims to 1) explore what this experience is like for individuals (using qualitative interviews), 2) understand the nature of peer relationship problems, for those who are socially anxious, in adolescent-specific contexts such as schools (using social network analysis) and explore the specific mechanisms that might be involved in the relationship, and then 3) co-design and evaluate a brief online treatment that targets the key cognitive and behavioural mechanisms to support young people who experience social anxiety and peer relationship problems.
Throughout the project we are keen to work with and get advice from young people to ensure our work is suitable and accessible for people aged 11-18 years.
If you are interested in finding out more or getting involved at any stage, please email: sophie.grant@psy.ox.ac.uk
This project is funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre.
Relevant Publications:
Prospective associations between peer functioning and social anxiety in adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis - ScienceDirect
