Differentiating symptoms of social anxiety and depression in adults with social anxiety disorder

Although studies have suggested a strong overlap between social anxiety disorder and depression, this is the first study to examine the ability of commonly used measures to differentiate symptoms of these disorders in a sample of clients with social anxiety disorder. Structural equation modeling revealed that commonly used measures of social anxiety and depression can differentiate the two constructs, rather than simply reflecting a single construct of overall distress. Logistic regression analyses indicated that scores on depressive symptom measures could predict which socially anxious clients met criteria for a comorbid depressive disorder.