The Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorder and Attachment Styles in Students: The Mediating Role of Social Skills

This study aimed to examine the mediating role of social skills in the relationship between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and attachment styles in students. The method was a correlational study with a structural equation modeling design. The statistical population consisted of 302 university students in Tehran in 2021, who were selected by the convenience sampling method. The SAD Questionnaire by Connor et al., the Adult Attachment Questionnaire by Hazen and Shaver, and the Social Skills Questionnaire by Matson et al. were used to collect data. Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the ambivalent and avoidant attachment styles had a positive and significant effect on SAD. The direct impact of social skills on SAD was negative and significant. The mediation results indicated that ambivalent, avoidant, and secure attachment styles had a significant indirect effect on SAD through the mediation of communication skills. The overall impact of attachment styles on SAD was significant. The findings suggest that enhancing social skills can reduce the negative impact of insecure attachment styles on SAD. These results emphasize the importance of educational and psychological interventions for improving communication skills