Authors :
Dr. Rinita Jain; Prerana Jain
Volume/Issue :
Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 6 - June
Google Scholar :
https://tinyurl.com/3tsrkpfj
Scribd :
https://tinyurl.com/5xnyyssn
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jun917
Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.
Abstract :
Adolescence is a vulnerable period, where they are prone to emotional vulnerability and are more sensitive to peer
evaluations and social judgement. In today's social environment, superficial judgement based on appearance, behaviour, or
social image has emerged as a potential contributor to anxiety among adolescents. The present study was to determine the
level of anxiety in adolescents, examine their perceptions regarding superficial judgement in social settings, and explore the
co-occurrence of anxiety and perceived judgemental social climate. A pilot study was done with a sample of 150 school and
college-going adolescents. The study used the Adolescent Anxiety Scale (AAS) developed by Dr. Rinita Jain and Khushboo
Pareek, along with a single-item measure assessing whether participants believed that “people should be less judgemental
about superficial things.”
Keywords :
Adolescent Anxiety, Social Evaluation, Judgemental Climate, Peer Pressure, Mental Health, Study.
References :
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- Steinberg, L. (2014). Adolescence (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
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- Rapee, R. M., & Heimberg, R. G. (1997). A cognitive-behavioral model of anxiety in social phobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35(8), 741–756. doi.org
- Siegel, R. S., La Greca, A. M., & Harrison, H. M. (2009). Peer victimization and social anxiety in adolescents: Prospective and reciprocal relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(8), 1096–1109. doi.org
- Harter, S. (2012). The construction of the self: Developmental and sociocultural foundations (2nd ed.). Guilford Press
- Nepon, T., Flett, G. L., Hewitt, P. L., & Molnar, D. S. (2011). Perfectionism, negative social feedback, and interpersonal rumination in depression and social anxiety. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 43(4), 297–308. doi.org
- Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women’s body image concerns and mood. Body Image, 13, 38–45. doi.org
- Vannucci, A., Flannery, K. M., & Ohannessian, C. M. (2017). Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 207, 163–166. doi.org
- Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of Adolescence, 51, 41–49. doi.org
- Espelage, D. L., & Holt, M. K. (2013). Suicidal ideation and school bullying experiences after controlling for depression and delinquency. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(1 Suppl), S27–S31. doi.org
- Thapa, A., Cohen, J., Guffey, S., & Higgins-D’Alessandro, A. (2013). A review of school climate research. Review of Educational Research, 83(3), 357–385. doi.org
- Aggarwal, S., & Berk, M. (2015). Evolution of adolescent mental health in a rapidly changing socioeconomic environment: A review of the literature. International Review of Psychiatry, 27(5), 396–404. doi.org
- Deb, S., Strodl, E., & Sun, J. (2015). Academic stress, parental pressure, anxiety and mental health among Indian high school students. International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 5(1), 26–34. doi.org
- Gilbert, P. (2001). Evolution and social anxiety: The role of attraction, social competition, and social hierarchies. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 24(4), 723 751. doi.org
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- Heimberg, R. G., Brozovich, F. A., & Rapee, R. M. (2010). A cognitive behavioral model of social anxiety disorder: Update and extension. In S. G. Hofmann & P. M. DiBartolo (Eds.), Social anxiety: Clinical, developmental, and social perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 395–422). Academic Press.
Adolescence is a vulnerable period, where they are prone to emotional vulnerability and are more sensitive to peer
evaluations and social judgement. In today's social environment, superficial judgement based on appearance, behaviour, or
social image has emerged as a potential contributor to anxiety among adolescents. The present study was to determine the
level of anxiety in adolescents, examine their perceptions regarding superficial judgement in social settings, and explore the
co-occurrence of anxiety and perceived judgemental social climate. A pilot study was done with a sample of 150 school and
college-going adolescents. The study used the Adolescent Anxiety Scale (AAS) developed by Dr. Rinita Jain and Khushboo
Pareek, along with a single-item measure assessing whether participants believed that “people should be less judgemental
about superficial things.”
Keywords :
Adolescent Anxiety, Social Evaluation, Judgemental Climate, Peer Pressure, Mental Health, Study.