Why avoidance? The impact of childhood emotional abuse on social avoidance

Childhood is a critical period for the development of social relationships, and experiences of abuse during this time can have long-lasting negative effects on social interactions. This study has explored the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and social avoidance in college students, using the social cognitive model of rejection sensitivity and the model of social support degradation as theoretical frameworks. A total of 422 Chinese university students (285 females and 157 males), aged from 19 to 25 (M = 21.27, SD = 3.47), participated in this study. Data were collected using different tools: Childhood Abuse Questionnaire, the Rejection Sensitivity Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale. Results indicated that: (1) emotional abuse were significantly positively correlated with social avoidance; (2) rejection sensitivity mediated the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and social avoidance; (3) perceived social support also served as mediators in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and social avoidance in college students. These findings suggest that enhancing individuals' perceived social support or reducing rejection sensitivity may be effective strategies for improving social avoidance.