Actual and perceived social support in social anxiety

Socially anxious individuals have perceptual and behavioral tendencies that are potential causes for unsatisfactory social relationships. The present study examined perceptions of support and supportive statements made during a social support eliciting interaction between college roommates. High social anxiety was related to smaller numbers of social support network members and lower satisfaction with social support networks. Social anxiety was not related to poorer displays of social support by either roommate during the interaction. These results may suggest that socially anxious individuals\u27 lesser satisfaction with social support is promoted more by negative perceptions of support interactions rather than poor support interactions