The role of social anxiety in adolescent peer relations: Differences among sociometric status groups and rejected subgroups

Examined the relation between sociometric nominations and social anxiety in adolescence. Participants were 973 students (473 boys and 500 girls) in Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9. Students completed the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents and a sociometric nomination task that included the following behavioral descriptors: liked most, liked least, starts fights the most, best sense of humor, class leader, easiest to push around, and most cooperative. Sociometric nominations were used to classify students into standard sociometric status groups (i.e., popular, average, rejected, neglected, and controversial) as well as into rejected subgroups (aggressive rejected and submissive rejected). Results indicated that students classified as rejected and neglected reported more social anxiety than those classified as average, popular, or controversial. In addition, submissive rejected students reported significantly more social anxiety than did aggressive rejected or average students. Implications of these results for assessment and treatment of adolescents with peer problems are discussed.