Social Anxiety and Social Phobia in Youth (eBook)

The youngster who won’t talk to anyone. The child who avoids social and extracurricular activities. The teenager who has trouble performing before others. Many children experience social anxiety in certain settings. Some, however, perhaps as many as 4%, experience a clinical condition of severe social and evaluative anxiety that profoundly affects many life situations. Christopher A. Kearney’s Social Anxiety and Social Phobia in Youth sorts out the many nuances of thought and behavior associated with this condition. In doing so, the author gives practitioners and researchers a thorough, up-to-date understanding of childhood social anxiety and social phobia with respect to their characteristics, assessment, and treatment. - Introductory chapter covers related concepts such as shyness, introversion, and social withdrawal. - Accessible coverage of epidemiology, biological, and environmental risk factors. - Provides integrated etiological models and a proposed developmental pathway. - Clarifies differences of normal childhood and adolescent concerns and their more pathological counterparts. - Applied examples feature typical as well as unusual cases. - Later chapters cover empirically-based assessment and treatment recommendations. - Strategies for relapse prevention are provided. Clinical and counseling psychologists, school and educational psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and pediatricians will appreciate Kearney’s clarity, organization, and depth of coverage. For principals, teachers, guidance counselors, and other school-based professionals, Social Anxiety and Social Phobia in Youth helps answer their question, 'Why won’t this child participate?'

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A great bene?t of being a clinical child psychologist is the opportunity to conduct and review research on fascinating areas of human, youthful behavior. And perhaps no behavior is as central to human existence as social behavior, and the lack thereof. In writing this book, therefore, I have been doubly blessed with the chance to examine seminal works on behaviors that are so critical to the development and quality of life of children. This book covers the major historical aspects, characteristics, asse- ment strategies, and psychological treatment techniques for youths with social anxiety and social phobia. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the related constructs and history of social phobia. Chapters 2 and 3 provide a summary of the characteristics and etiological variables that pertain most to youths with social anxiety and social phobia. Chapters 4 and 5 provide an overview of research- and clinically-based assessment strategies and recommendations for this population. Chapters 6-9 provide a description of treatment techniques that are most relevant and empirically supported for youths with social anxiety and social phobia. Chapter 10 covers issues regarding general and relapse prevention as well as dif?cult cases and future directions.