This study tested a structural model which indicated the impact of internalized shame on social anxiety through experiential avoidance as a mediator. There were 348 Participants from five middle schools and high schools from one of the largest cities in South Korea. Results revealed that all three variables showed a positive correlation with each other. Also, the full mediation model showed a better fit to given data compared to the partial mediation model, which indicated that internalized shame indirectly influenced social anxiety through experiential avoidance. Mediation effect was supported by using the Aroian test. These findings can be beneficial in the clinical setting for treatment of social anxiety in the shame-prone adolescent population, with suggestions for focusing on intervention for experiential avoidance.


Corresponding Author
Jeeyon Lee, Department of Creative HRD, Incheon National University,
12-1 Song-do Dong, Incheon, South Korea
Email: becoming@incheon.ac.kr