Investigating the relationship between social anxiety and parental attitudes in primary school children: A regression analysis approach

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the role of sociodemographic characteristics and parental attitudes in determining social anxiety in primary school children.Method: This study is a cross-sectional study examining predictive relationships. A total of 253 fourth-grade students from a primary school in southern Türkiye participated in the study between September 1st and December 31st, 2023. Data were collected face-to-face using a Personal Information Form, the Children's Social Anxiety Scale–Revised, and the Parenting Style Scale. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis using the enter method were used to analyze the data.Results: The mean scores of children on the Social Anxiety Scale for Children–Revised and the sub-dimensions of the Parenting Style Scale (acceptance and interest, psychological autonomy, and control) were 42.30±10.39, 23.05±3.09, 17.06±4.16, and 23.47±2.39, respectively. The regression model examining the relationship between children’s social anxiety levels and the independent variables was significant (F=1.884, p<0.001) and explained 5.9% of the total variance, indicating that while parental acceptance and interest (B=−0.495, p<0.05), psychological autonomy (B=−0.617, p<0.001), and having a mother with a middle school diploma (β=−0.171, p<0.05) were significant predictors, the overall variance explained by the model was low.Conclusion: This study found that children exhibited moderate levels of social anxiety, while the sub-dimensions of parental attitudes, acceptance/interest, and psychological autonomy were at moderate levels, and control was at a high level. The findings indicate that maternal education level and parental attitudes of acceptance, interest, and psychological autonomy significantly affect children's social anxiety levels. Psychological autonomy support was the strongest predictor of social anxiety. School-based screenings can help identify children at risk for social anxiety early, enabling timely support within educational settings. Family-centered social workers, in collaboration with mental health professionals and integrated health teams, can provide targeted guidance to parents to promote adaptive parenting strategies, such as acceptance, interest, and psychological autonomy.