P122: Family Communication Patterns and Social Anxiety in Students: The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies

Research findings suggest that the family context and communication patterns have high correlation with adolescent’s mental health indicators such as anxiety. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the mediator role of coping strategies in relation between family communication patterns and students social anxiety. 140 students of Shiraz guidance schools were studied they completed the family communication patterns scale (Ritchie and Fitzpatrick, 1990), social anxiety scale for adolescents (LaGreca, 1999), Way of coping questionnaire (Lazarus and Folkman, 1982). The study was conducted based on path analysis. So the family communication patterns (conversation orientation and conformity orientation) were considered as exogenous variables, coping strategies (problem focused and emotion focused approaches) as mediator variables and social anxiety as endogenous variable. Conversation orientation was the direct and significant predictor of problem focused strategy and conformity orientation was the direct and significant predictor of emotion focused strategy in students. On the other hand, emotion focused approach was the positive predictor of social anxiety. When the family system has the lower potentiality to listen or accept different opinions and the children are being pushed to the peremptorily assimilation with parents values, the coping strategies become more emotional and the children experience higher level of anxiety in social interactions. These findings have implications for the important role of parent’s orientations toward their adolescents on family's mental health.