Effect of social fear and intimate fear on mental health and somatic responses in college students: Modulation of family factors

The current research explores the predictive value of social fear and intimate fear for mental health and somatic responses among college student, while highlighting the interaction between the aforementioned variables with family factors. A sample of 856 college students aged 18–24 years (58% female) was surveyed at various universities in China during the fall semester of 2023. Participants completed questionnaires that dealt with social fear, intimate fear, symptoms of mental health, somatic responses, and family factors. Both types of fear showed significant associations with negative consequences. Social fear demonstrated stronger effects, with coefficients of β = 0.54 (p < 0.001) for mental health symptoms and β = 0.48 (p < 0.001) for somatic complaints. In comparison, intimate fear showed relatively weaker effects, with coefficients of β = 0.46 (p < 0.001) for mental health symptoms and β = 0.42 (p < 0.001) for somatic complaints. Further biomechanical analyses demonstrated that psychological fears were significantly associated with increased muscle tension (particularly in trapezius and cervical muscles) and reduced joint mobility, with social fear showing stronger effects on these physical parameters (β = 0.45, p < 0.001) compared to intimate fear (β = 0.38, p < 0.001).The findings further showed that family dynamics played an influential role in these relationships, with the correlations between psychological anxieties and negative life outcomes proving stronger in conditions where there was little support from family. The interaction effects were most marked with regard to mental health outcomes, where the positive family factors buffered the impact of social and intimate fears. These results strongly point out the importance of integrating family-oriented approaches into interventions for college students with psychological anxieties.