Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Feb 2024)
Longitudinal Examination of the Relationship Between Virtual Companionship and Social Anxiety: Emotional Expression as a Mediator and Mindfulness as a Moderator
Abstract
Zehang Xie, Zeyu Wang School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zeyu Wang, School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai, 200240, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: As the interweaving of human interaction and Artificial Intelligence (AI) intensifies, understanding the psychological impact, especially regarding social anxiety, of engaging with AI-driven virtual companionship becomes crucial. While a substantial body of research on social anxiety has concentrated on interactions between individuals, both online and offline, there is a noticeable deficit in explorations concerning how human-computer interactions influence social anxiety. This study offers a comprehensive, longitudinal examination of this underinvestigated relationship, intricately dissecting the roles of emotional expression and mindfulness within the context of AI-based interactions.Methods: We use social support theory and emotion regulation theory as our theoretical foundation. Data were collected from 618 undergraduate students in Eastern China over two intervals (May 15, 2023 and September 15, 2023). We utilized SPSS 26.0 to conduct descriptive statistics, while AMOS 25.0 facilitated multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the cross-lagged panel modeling.Results: Our findings indicate that as the frequency of virtual companionship use increases, there’s a decline in online social anxiety but a rise in offline social anxiety. Emotional expression emerges as a significant mediator, with heightened emotional expression leading to reduced social anxiety in both contexts. Mindfulness serves as a potent moderator, suggesting its protective role against the potential pitfalls of frequent virtual interactions.Conclusion: This research not only deepens our theoretical understanding of the dynamics between virtual interactions and social anxiety but also serves as a cornerstone for future endeavors aimed at optimizing AI and devising therapeutic interventions tailored for the digital generation.Keywords: virtual companionship, social anxiety, emotional expression, mindfulness, longitudinal study
