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PII: S0005-7894(22)00159-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2022.12.009
Reference: BETH 1240
Please cite this article as: M. Rassaby, T. Smith, C.T. Taylor, Examining safety behavior subtypes across distinct
social contexts in social anxiety disorder and major depression, Behavior Therapy (2022), doi: https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.beth.2022.12.009
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SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 1
Examining safety behavior subtypes across distinct social contexts in social anxiety
San Diego State University/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology a
* Corresponding author:
Funding: This research was supported by grants awarded to Charles T. Taylor from the National
Institute of Mental Health (R00MH090243, R33MH113769), Brain and Behavior Foundation
(21695), and the University of California, San Diego, National Institute of Health Clinical and
Translational Science Awards Program Grant UL1TR001442.
Conflict of Interest: Charles T. Taylor declares that in the past 3 years he has been a paid
consultant for Bionomics and receives payment for editorial work for UpToDate and the journal
Depression and Anxiety. Madeleine Rassaby and Taylor Smith declare no conflicts of interest.
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 2
Highlights
SB subtype use varied by diagnosis (SAD > MDD > non-patient controls).
Abstract
People with social anxiety disorder (SAD) use different types of safety behaviors that have been
classified as avoidance vs. impression management. The current study investigated differences in
safety behavior subtype use in 132 individuals with principal diagnoses of social anxiety disorder
(SAD, n=69), major depressive disorder (MDD, n=30), and non-patient controls (n=33) across
two social contexts: an interpersonal relationship-building task (social affiliation) and a speech
task (social performance). We examined whether diagnostic groups differed in safety behavior
subtype use and whether group differences varied by social context. We also explored
relationships between avoidance and impression management safety behaviors, respectively, and
positive and negative valence affective and behavioral outcomes within the social affiliation and
social performance contexts. Safety behavior use varied by diagnosis (SAD > MDD > non-
patient controls). The effect of diagnosis on impression management safety behavior use
depended on social context: use was comparable for the principal SAD and MDD groups in the
social performance context, whereas the SAD group used more impression management safety
behaviors than the MDD group in the social affiliation context. Greater use of avoidance safety
behaviors related to higher negative affect and anxious behaviors, and lower positive affect and
approach behaviors across contexts. Impression management safety behaviors were most
strongly associated with higher positive affect and approach behaviors within the social
performance context. These findings underscore the potential value of assessing safety behavior
subtypes across different contexts and within major depression, in addition to SAD.
Performance
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 4
Introduction
negative evaluation by other people, resulting in functional impairment and distress (American
minimize, or escape a feared outcome, are recognized as an important maintaining factor in SAD
(Kirk et al., 2019; Piccirillo et al., 2016). Research suggests safety behaviors can be grouped into
two main subtypes: avoidance and impression management (Clark & Wells, 1995; Evans et al.,
2021; Gray et al., 2019; Plasencia et al., 2011). Avoidance safety behaviors serve to limit an
individual’s involvement in a social situation or hide oneself (e.g., avoiding eye contact,
minimizing talking, low self-disclosure), whereas impression management safety behaviors are
intended to control the impression one makes on others in an effort to present a positive image
(e.g., excessive rehearsal of conversation, self-monitoring). No research to date has examined the
differential use of avoidance and impression management safety behaviors across more than one
context (e.g., social affiliation versus social performance) in the same sample. Further, research
has yet to explore safety behavior subtype use in disorders other than SAD (e.g., major
depression). Finally, initial evidence suggests avoidance and impression management safety
behaviors may be linked to different affective, behavioral, and social outcomes (Evans et al.,
2021; Gray et al., 2019; Hirsch et al., 2004; Plasencia et al., 2011). Research is needed to
replicate these findings and determine whether they extend across different social contexts.
Identifying the presence and correlates of safety behavior subtypes across different contexts and
disorders may inform a more precise understanding of which safety behaviors, in what contexts,
Safety behaviors are strategic in that they are used in response to the demands and fears
associated with a situation (Moscovitch et al., 2013). Notably, the demands and concerns evoked
by one situation (e.g., a social interaction) may differ from those of another situation (e.g., a
speech or other performance task). Different skills may be required to successfully engage in
each context, and fears, distress levels, and coping strategies may vary. For example, social
interactions require dynamic flow and reciprocal exchanges between two partners (e.g., attending
and being responsive to one’s partner while thinking of things to say), while social performances
increase focal attention on the performing individual, which can magnify the salience of being
subtypes across different social contexts within the same sample has, to our knowledge, not been
(Blakey & Abramowitz, 2016), less is known about their relevance to other conditions, such as
major depressive disorder (MDD). This may be important given the high comorbidity rates
between MDD and SAD (Kessler et al., 1999) and the fact that social impairment is common
across both conditions (Robyn et al., 2020). Consistent with work in SAD (Plasencia et al., 2016;
Taylor & Alden, 2011), if safety behaviors are used by those diagnosed with MDD, they may
limit prosocial behaviors that facilitate social connection or diminish rewarding experiences from
(Kupferberg et al., 2016). In clinical practice, providers typically treat the principal, or most
interfering diagnosis (Barlow et al., 2017). First-line treatments for MDD do not routinely assess
for or target safety behaviors. If individuals with principal MDD engage in safety behaviors in
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 6
social contexts, this information may be relevant to treatment planning. Initial evidence within
SAD samples suggests higher depressive symptoms were related to increased safety behavior use
(Plasencia et al., 2011; Rowa et al., 2015). To our knowledge, research has yet to examine
whether individuals with principal major depression engage in safety behaviors (and which
types) in the context of social situations. We aimed to address this gap by including individuals
Insights into the unique correlates and consequences of avoidance and impression
management safety behaviors have been demonstrated using a social interaction task in which an
individual becomes acquainted with a stranger. In one such study, Plasencia and colleagues
(2011) found avoidance strategies were positively related to state anxiety and to negative
reactions from participants’ interaction partners. Impression management safety behaviors were
not associated with state anxiety or partner liking, but were shown to impede corrections in
negative predictions about future interactions. Gray et al. (2019) found healthy individuals who
anxiety in a social interaction task. Notably, avoidance safety behaviors had broader negative
effects on the other individual in the conversation, such as liking their partner less and enjoying
the conversation less, which were absent for the impression management safety behavior
subtype. Taken together, these studies suggest avoidance and impression management safety
We are not aware of any studies that investigated safety behavior subtypes in social
performance contexts, such as speech tasks. Studies exploring safety behaviors more broadly in
speech tasks found safety behavior use is related to poorer performance and greater post-event
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 7
processing (i.e., detailed review of a prior social situation; Mitchell & Schmidt, 2014; Rowa et
al., 2015). Research is needed to explore whether avoidance and impression management safety
safety behaviors elicit different emotional, behavioral, or social outcomes based on social
context. For example, a behavior that may be helpful or benign in a performance situation may
be more costly in a social interaction (e.g., brief mental rehearsal of what an individual is going
to say during a speech may minimally interrupt performance whereas it may prevent the person
from responding appropriately to an interaction partner because they missed part of what the
other person said). Some research indicates judicious use of safety behaviors during the early
learning, or affective state (Tutino et al., 2020; but see Rowa et al., 2015). Determining whether
the correlates or outcomes of different safety behaviors vary across social contexts could inform
where and when they should be targeted in treatment. The second aim of this study was to
explore the relationships between avoidance and impression management safety behaviors,
respectively, and positive and negative valence affective and behavioral outcomes across each
social context.
Current Study
The goal of the present study was to investigate differences in safety behavior subtype
use in individuals with principal diagnoses of SAD, MDD, and non-patient controls across two
social contexts: an interpersonal relationship-building task (social affiliation) and a speech task
behavior subtype use (avoidance and impression management; Aim 1) and whether group
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 8
differences varied by social affiliation versus social performance contexts (moderator; Aim 2).
We also sought to explore the affective and behavioral correlates of avoidance and impression
management safety behaviors within each context (Aim 3). Data were obtained from baseline
assessments conducted within clinical trials for SAD (NCT02136212) and MDD
(NCT02330744). The research questions examined herein were not part of the parent trial aims.
We hypothesized that individuals with SAD would engage in the most safety behaviors
(both avoidance and impression management) irrespective of social context (Aim 1), followed by
individuals with MDD and then non-patient controls (i.e., main effect of diagnostic group). In the
absence of past research, we did not make specific predictions about whether social context
would moderate the hypothesized diagnostic group differences in use of safety behavior
subtypes. For the exploratory correlation analyses, we predicted that avoidance safety behaviors
would be associated with greater negative valence outcomes (state anxiety, negative affect, and
anxious behaviors) and lower positive valence outcomes (positive affect, approach behaviors).
We did not make predictions about the correlates of impression management safety behaviors
due to mixed findings in previous studies. Finally, we did not make predictions about whether or
how these relationships varied across contexts due to lack of prior research.
Method
Participants
individuals (42 women, 26 men, one who identified as other) with a principal DSM-5 diagnosis
(MINI) 7.0.01 or the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5), 30 individuals (18
1 Because enrollment began prior to the release of MINI Version 7.0.0 for DSM-5, 10 participants were
administered MINI Version 5.0.0 for DSM-IV.
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 9
women, 12 men) with a principal DSM-5 diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD)
according to the MINI, and 33 non-patient controls (23 women, 10 men) without a history of
psychiatric diagnosis as determined by the MINI. Demographic and clinical characteristics are
displayed in Table 1. Participants were recruited from the community through IRB-approved
advertisements posted throughout community settings, online media, social media, and primary
care clinics. This study represents a secondary analysis of baseline data obtained within the
context of overarching treatment studies for SAD and MDD. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers:
NCT02136212; NCT02330744.
Measures
The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS; Liebowitz, 1987) was used to assess social
anxiety symptoms. It assesses fear and avoidance of social interaction and performance
situations. Respondents are asked to rate their fear and avoidance for each of 24 situations on a
4-point scale ranging from “none/never” to “severe/usually.” The total score is calculated by
summing the scores on each item. The LSAS demonstrates strong psychometric properties
Depressive symptoms
The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) was used to
assess symptoms of depression during the past two weeks. The BDI-II consists of 21 self-report
items that are multiple choice and scored on a scale from zero to three. Total scores are
calculated by summing the items and range from 0 to 63. The BDI-II is considered a reliable,
well-validated measure (Beck et al., 1996; Dozois, Dobson, & Ahnberg, 1998). Current sample’s
Cronbach’s α = .98.
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 10
Safety behaviors
A modified version of the Safety Behaviour Questionnaire (SBQ; Clark et al., 1995) as
implemented in prior research (Plasencia et al., 2011) was utilized to assess avoidance and
impression management safety behaviors (items and scoring from Plasencia et al., 2011). The
SBQ measures specific strategies used by individuals in an effort to prevent feared social
outcomes. Participants rated how frequently they utilized each strategy in the social affiliation
and performance tasks on a 9-point scale (0 = never, 8 = always). To clarify that items reflected
safety behaviors rather than general behaviors, items were answered in reference to behaviors
that were used to “make yourself feel safer or to try to prevent your feared outcome(s) from
happening.” Examples for avoidance safety behavior items include “avoided talking about
yourself” and “said little or nothing (talking as little as possible).” Examples of impression
management safety behavior items include “tried to conceal your anxiety” and “acted very
agreeable.” The impression management subscale consisted of 9 items, and the avoidance
subscale included 6 items (see Supplemental Materials for all items on each scale). Mean total
scores were calculated for each subscale to facilitate interpretation of findings (possible range 0
to 8). Current sample’s Cronbach’s α = .85 for avoidance (6 items) and .87 for impression
State anxiety
The state anxiety subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger et al.,
1983) was employed to gauge participants’ present state of anxiety directly following the social
affiliation and speech tasks. The STAI consists of 20 items describing transitory feelings (e.g., “I
am tense”) that are rated on a four-point intensity scale from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much so).
Scores may range from 20 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety. This measure
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 11
demonstrates high internal consistency (α = .92; Barnes et al., 2002). Current sample’s
Cronbach’s α = .94.
The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson et al., 1988) was utilized to
assess positive and negative affect following the social affiliation and speech tasks. The PANAS
consists of 20 self-report items that are rated on a five-point scale indicating the extent to which
an individual felt the specified emotions during the task (e.g., “excited,” “ashamed”). The
positive and negative affect subscales demonstrate high internal consistency, respectively (α =
.89, α = .85; Crawford & Henry, 2002). Current sample’s Cronbach’s α = .93 for the positive
(show signs of anxiety, tremble or shake, speak fluently/clearly, create uncomfortable pauses,
appear tense or rigid, fidget; Taylor & Alden, 2011). Social approach behaviors included five
items reflective of prosocial behaviors (talk openly about yourself, appear actively engaged,
convey interest in your partner/audience, appear friendly, talkative; Taylor & Alden, 2011). The
items were rated on a 7-point scale with the anchors of “not at all” and “very much.” Past
research demonstrated adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s α range from .75-.90 and .90-
.91, respectively; Taylor & Alden, 2011). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC; two-way
mixed model) was used to assess interrater reliability. On the social affiliation task, the average
measure ICC was .704 for approach behaviors (95% CI [.558, .807]) and .728 for anxious
behaviors (95% CI [.595, .823]). For the speech task, the average measure ICC was .816 for
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 12
approach behaviors (95% CI [.692, .885]) and .822 for anxious behaviors (95% CI [.737, .880]),
Study procedures were approved by the institutional review board and all participants
provided informed written consent prior to engaging in study procedures. The current study
involved completing questionnaires assessing social anxiety and depression levels and the
completion of two behavioral approach tests, each of which was followed by a questionnaire on
the utilization of safety behaviors during the test. The social affiliation task was completed first,
followed by a filler task (to prevent carryover effects), then the social performance task.
Participants were informed that the behavioral approach tasks would be video recorded. Upon
Participants completed a social affiliation task with a trained confederate (for full task
description and psychometric properties, see Hoffman et al., 2021). Participants and confederates
alternated responding to a series of six questions with each question gradually increasing in
intimacy level and self-disclosure elicited (see Supplemental Materials for the list of questions).
Confederates were trained to engage in friendly, warm behavior.2 With the confederate present,
the experimenter explained to the participant that the purpose of the task was to get to know each
other by answering questions about themselves. Before leaving the room, the experimenter
started a video recording of the dyad. The interaction lasted approximately 25 minutes. Hoffman
2 Observer raters used a five-item scale assessing confederate warm / affiliative behavior displays (friendly,
talkative, disinterested, distant, self-disclosive). Items were rated from 0 (not at all) to 7 (very much) and averaged
to create a score. The mean warm / affiliative behavior display score was 5.87, with a standard deviation of .41.
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 13
and colleagues (2021) provided psychometric support for this paradigm as a reliable method of
Filler task
calming music.
task), which is a common and well-established behavioral approach test used to assess anxiety
and avoidance responses (Hofmann et al., 1995). The experimenter informed participants they
would be video recorded for later quality assurance. Participants chose a controversial speech
topic from a list of 5 options: abortion, nuclear power, corporal punishment, seatbelt laws, and
the American health system. They were given two-minutes to prepare their speech, then given
instructions to stand in a designated area in front of a video camera to deliver the speech.
Participants were encouraged to speak for the full five minutes, but were told they could end the
demographic and clinical characteristics were examined using chi-square tests for categorical
variables and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) for continuous variables. A 3 (Group:
SAD, MDD, non-patient controls) x 2 (Context: social affiliation vs. social performance)
whether the amount of impression management and avoidance safety behaviors varied based on
diagnostic group differences (Aim 2). Dependent variables were scores on the avoidance and
impression management subscales of the SBQ – entered together within a MANOVA to protect
against type I error inflation. We confirmed whether the data violated assumptions of
MANOVA. Pillai’s trace was used when Box’s Test for Equivalence of Covariance Matrices was
violated (Nimon, 2012). Univariate outcomes for each safety behavior subtype were examined
following a significant (p < .05) multivariate effect. Pending significant main and/or interaction
effects, Tukey’s HSD post-hoc analyses were conducted to compare groups on the relevant
outcomes, and paired-samples t-tests were run to examine the differential use of safety behaviors
across social contexts within each diagnosis separately. For the exploratory correlation analysis
(Aim 3), bivariate correlations were computed in the combined SAD and MDD groups to
investigate associations between safety behavior subtypes and outcome measures, including
observer-rated anxiety and approach behaviors, positive and negative affect, and state anxiety
following the social affiliation and social performance tasks, respectively. The clinical samples
Results
Preliminary Analyses
measures. One-way ANOVAs revealed a significant effect of diagnostic group on LSAS scores
(SAD > MDD > non-patient controls; F(2, 129) = 192.68, p < .001, η2 = .53) and BDI-II scores
(MDD > SAD > non-patient controls; F(2, 127) = 63.61, p < .001, η2 = .86) for the three
conditions. There were no significant diagnostic group differences in gender, race, or ethnicity
(all p > .05). A one-way ANOVA indicated a significant diagnostic group difference in age (F(2,
129) = 3.72, p = .027, η2 = .05). Specifically, a post hoc Tukey test showed that the principal
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 15
MDD group (M = 25.57, SD = 5.24) was significantly older on average than the principal SAD
group (M = 23.04, SD = 4.42; d = .52); there were no differences between the non-patient control
Primary Analyses
Does Safety Behavior Subtype Use Differ Across SAD, MDD, and Control Groups?
across the three diagnostic groups (Pillai’s Trace = 0.53, F(4,258) = 23.48, p < .001, η2 = 0.27),
but did not differ across contexts (Pillai’s Trace = 0.01, F(2,128) = .61, p = .543, η2 = 0.01).
Univariate tests revealed group differences for both impression management (F(2, 129) = 35.05,
p < .001, η2 = .35) and avoidance safety behaviors (F(2,129) = 52.02, p < .001, η2 = .45).
Tukey’s post-hoc comparisons indicated that the SAD group (M = 4.49, SD = 1.27) and MDD
group (M = 4.09, SD = 1.49) did not differ on mean impression management safety behavior use
(p = .333; d = .29), but they both engaged in more impression management safety behaviors than
the non-patient controls group (M = 2.26, SD = 1.48) at p < .001 (SAD versus HC: d = 1.62;
MDD versus HC: d = 1.24). Tukey’s post-hoc comparisons showed that the SAD group (M =
3.27, SD = 1.58) used significantly more avoidance safety behaviors on average than the MDD
group (M = 2.17, SD = 1.48; d = .72), and both groups used significantly more avoidance safety
behaviors than the non-patient controls group (M = 0.57, SD = 0.77) at p < .001 (SAD versus
Does Social Context Influence Safety Behavior Subtype Use Across Diagnoses?
The main multivariate effect of diagnostic group was qualified by a significant group by
social context interaction (Pillai’s Trace = .17, F(4,258) = 5.92, p < .001, η2 = 0.08). This
3No significant associations emerged between age and impression management or avoidance safety behaviors in
either social context.
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 16
multivariate effect was driven by impression management safety behaviors (F(2,129) = 12.06, p
< .001, η2 = 0.16), but not avoidance safety behaviors (F(2,129) = 1.65, p = .196, η2 = .03; see
Table 3 and previously reported post hoc tests for the main univariate effect of diagnosis on
Following the significant group by context interaction, results of a paired sample t-test
indicated that the SAD group engaged in significantly more impression management safety
behaviors on the social affiliation task (M = 4.71, SD = 1.19) compared to the social performance
task (M = 4.27, SD = 1.34; p < .001; t(68) = 3.24, p = .002, d = .39). The MDD group, however,
did not differ in impression management safety behavior use on the social affiliation task (M =
4.03, SD = 1.55) compared to the social performance task (M = 4.16, SD = 1.42; p = .426; t(29) =
-0.81, p = .426, d = -.15). The non-patient controls group engaged in significantly more
impression management safety behaviors on the social performance task (M = 2.57, SD = 1.66)
compared to the social affiliation task (M = 1.95, SD =1.30; p < .001; t(32) = -3.65, p < .001, d =
0.64).
management safety behavior use in the social affiliation context (SAD > MDD > non-patient
controls; F(2, 129) = 50.18, p < .001, η2 = .44) and the social performance context (SAD =
MDD > non-patient controls; F(2, 129) = 16.60, p < .001, η2 = .21). For the social affiliation
task, the SAD group (M = 4.71, SD = 1.19) used significantly more impression management
safety behaviors than the MDD group (M = 4.03, SD = 1.55; d = .49) and non-patient controls
group (M = 1.95, SD =1.30; d = 2.21); the MDD group engaged in significantly more impression
management safety behaviors than the non-patient controls group (d = 1.45). For the social
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 17
performance task, the SAD group (M = 4.27, SD = 1.34) did not differ significantly in
impression management safety behavior use than the MDD group (M = 4.16, SD = 1.42; d =
.08); but both groups used more than the non-patient controls (M = 2.57, SD = 1.66; SAD versus
HC: d = 1.13; MDD versus HC: d = 1.03). Table 3 and Figure 1 summarize group differences in
Secondary Analyses
diagnosis, we created a comorbid SAD and MDD group (n = 29), SAD only group (n = 50),
MDD only group (n = 19), and non-patient controls group (n = 33), and repeated the analyses
(see Supplemental Results for details). The pattern of findings for the SAD only group was
consistent with those of the primary analyses for the SAD principal diagnosis group. Findings for
non-patient controls also remained consistent. In contrast to the initial findings for the MDD
principal diagnosis group, the MDD only group engaged in more impression management safety
behaviors on the social performance task (M = 4.14, SD = 1.57) compared to the social affiliation
task (M = 3.76, SD = 1.64; t(19) = -2.23, p = .038, d = -.50). The comorbid SAD and MDD
group did not differ in impression management safety behavior use across contexts (social
affiliation: M = 4.97, SD = 1.05; social performance: M = 4.69, SD = 1.14; t(28) = 1.46, p = .156,
d = .27); this finding converges with that observed for the principal diagnosis MDD group in the
main analyses.
impression management safety behaviors used in the social affiliation context (SAD+MDD =
SAD; SAD+MDD > MDD; SAD = MDD; all patient groups > non-patient controls; F(3, 129) =
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 18
35.86, p < .001, η2 = .46) and the social performance context (SAD+MDD = SAD = MDD >
Do Safety Behavior Subtypes Relate to Affective and Behavioral Processes within Different
Social Contexts?
See Table 4 for intercorrelations among measures in the clinical sample for the social
affiliation task (N = 99).4 Avoidance safety behaviors were positively associated with observer-
rated anxious behaviors, and negatively associated with observer-rated approach behaviors.
Avoidance safety behaviors were also positively correlated with self-reported negative affect and
negative affect; however, there were no significant correlations between impression management
safety behaviors and observer-rated anxious or approach behaviors, or self-reported state anxiety
or positive affect.
Table 5 displays the intercorrelations among measures in the clinical sample for the
speech task. Greater use of avoidance safety behaviors was associated with higher observer-rated
anxious behaviors and lower observer-rated approach behaviors. Avoidance safety behaviors
were also correlated with higher negative affect and state anxiety, and lower positive affect.
Greater use of impression management safety behaviors was associated with lower observer-
4 N = 72 for observer-reported anxious and approach behaviors on the social performance task. A sensitivity
analysis was run including only subjects who had complete data for observer-reported behavior outcomes across
both social contexts. The patterns of findings were similar to those reported in the main text. See Supplemental
Materials for full analyses.
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 19
rated anxious behaviors, and higher observer-rated approach behaviors and self-reported positive
affect.
Discussion
The current study explored avoidance and impression management safety behavior
subtypes in individuals with SAD, MDD, and non-patient controls across social affiliation and
social performance contexts. Safety behavior use varied by diagnosis, an effect that depended on
social context for impression management but not avoidance safety behaviors. Further, different
patterns of correlates emerged across safety behavior subtypes depending on context. These
findings underscore the potential value of assessing safety behaviors across different contexts
and within major depression, in addition to SAD, and may have implications for developing
Social context moderated the relationship between diagnosis and impression management
safety behavior use with a large effect size. Individuals with principal SAD engaged in more
impression management safety behaviors on the social affiliation task compared to the social
performance task with a small to medium effect size. In contrast, individuals with principal
MDD did not differ in impression management safety behavior use across social contexts, and
non-patient controls demonstrated greater use on the social performance task (medium effect
size). We observed that in the social affiliation context, the principal SAD group engaged in
more impression management safety behaviors than the principal MDD group, who engaged in
more than the non-patient controls. However, in the social performance context, the SAD and
MDD groups did not differ in impression management safety behavior use, but both engaged in
more than the non-patient controls. These findings suggest individuals with principal depression
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 20
may experience similar concerns to those with SAD about managing the impression they make
When the primary analyses were repeated with comorbid versus non-comorbid diagnostic
groups, results were mostly consistent, with the exception that the MDD group engaged in more
impression management safety behaviors on the social performance task compared to the social
affiliation task. The comorbid SAD and MDD group did not differ in impression management
safety behavior use across contexts, suggesting the presence of both high social anxiety and
depression symptoms influences impression management safety behavior use by reducing the
differentiation between social contexts. Taken together, these results underscore the heightened
use of impression management safety behaviors in both SAD and MDD, and also suggest social
interaction contexts may induce particularly heightened impression management safety behavior
The SAD group used more avoidance safety behaviors than the MDD and control groups,
irrespective of social context. The MDD group also engaged in more avoidance safety behaviors
than the non-patient controls. These findings may indicate individuals with principal MDD
experience heightened avoidance in social situations, though less so than those with principal
SAD. This aligns with the findings by Plasencia and colleagues (2011) demonstrating that
greater use of avoidance safety behaviors was associated with increased depressive symptoms in
Within the combined clinical samples (i.e., SAD and MDD), greater use of avoidance
safety behaviors was related to negative valence outcomes, including higher negative affect
(including anxiety), and greater observer-rated anxious behaviors across social contexts. Greater
use of avoidance safety behaviors was also associated with lower positive affect and observer-
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 21
rated approach behaviors across both social contexts. All effect sizes were medium-to-large in
magnitude. These results replicate what was previously observed in interpersonal contexts
(Evans et al., 2021; Gray et al., 2019; Hirsch et al., 2004), and extend these patterns of
association into a performance context, suggesting avoidance safety behaviors may have
On the social affiliation task, impression management safety behaviors were not related
to observer-rated anxious or approach behaviors. This finding is consistent with the literature
linking avoidance, but not impression management safety behaviors to negative perceptions by
observers on social affiliation tasks and poorer quality of interactions (Evans et al., 2021; Gray et
al., 2019; Hirsch et al., 2004). Greater use of impression management safety behaviors correlated
with higher negative affect (small effect), but not state anxiety. These findings add to but do not
further clarify the already mixed literature on the relationship between impression management
safety behaviors and state anxiety (Gray et al., 2019; but see Plasencia et al., 2011). A surprising
finding was that, on the speech task, impression management safety behaviors were negatively
associated with positive affect and observer-rated approach behaviors (moderate effect sizes).
This suggests impression management safety behaviors may be beneficial for one’s emotional
state and ability to actively engage in performance situations – at least when measured in a
behaviors fulfill their intended purpose in performance situations, but not in more reciprocal,
dynamic social interaction contexts. Indeed, it has been suggested that strategies like rehearsing
phrases or feigning friendliness (i.e., impression management behaviors) may increase likability
(Piccirillo et al., 2016). Determining the boundary conditions of such effects (e.g., in what
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 22
contexts, at what frequency, and over how long are impression management displays helpful,
Several limitations should be considered when interpreting results of this study. First,
data on safety behavior utilization was collected via self-report. This may impact findings as
participants could under- or overestimate their use of safety behaviors (e.g., due to social
desirability, recall biases, or limited awareness). However, research indicates that self- and
observer-report data of some safety behaviors correlate highly (Kocovsky et al., 2016). Second,
the sample size for this study was relatively modest and was unbalanced across diagnostic
groups, which may reduce power. Third, the MDD only group endorsed relatively elevated levels
of social anxiety, which precludes forming conclusions about whether safety behavior usage in
the MDD group reflects depression-specific processes or can be explained by the presence of
subclinical levels of social anxiety. Future research may seek to disentangle the mechanisms
underlying this relationship. Fourth, study tasks were not counterbalanced, which could lead to
possible order effects (e.g., due to sensitizing or fatiguing effects from the first task). Fifth,
possible that affective state may have impacted safety behavior use (rather than the reverse).
Further, given that the clinical samples were combined to increase power for the correlational
analyses, it was not determined whether findings differed by clinical diagnosis (SAD versus
MDD). This study involved single social events, which may not be representative of longer-term
outcomes of safety behavior use (e.g., threat disconfirmation). Finally, we did not assess other
safety behaviors by providing insights into how social context and diagnosis may impact safety
behavior use, and how safety behavior subtypes are differentially related to affective and
behavioral outcomes across distinct contexts. Clinically, our results suggest it may be valuable to
assess safety behavior use in people seeking treatment for principal MDD, in addition to SAD.
Findings also indicate it may be valuable to consider safety behavior type and social context
before deciding whether or when to address safety behaviors in exposure therapy. For example,
clinicians may consider prioritizing addressing avoidance safety behaviors (before impression
management safety behaviors) given that these are associated with more detrimental affective
and behavioral outcomes. Considering the judicious use of some safety behaviors (e.g.,
impression management) within some contexts (e.g., social performance) could be considered
early in treatment to facilitate engagement in especially challenging situations, after which safety
behavior fading and elimination could proceed (Rachman et al., 2008; Goetz et al., 2016). It may
also be useful to evaluate which contexts elicit which safety behaviors from a given individual in
order to provide a more personalized or idiographic treatment approach. Further research on the
longer-term impacts of safety behavior subtype use across different contexts could inform
intervention targets and promote effective and efficient exposure-based therapy for individuals
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Table 1
Sociodemographic Characteristics of Participants
SAD MDD HC
Measure n % n % n %
Gender
Female 42 60.9% 18 60% 23 69.7%
Male 26 37.7% 12 40% 10 30.3%
Other 1 1.4% 0 0% 0 0%
Ethnicity
Hispanic 17 24.6% 9 31.0% 7 21.2%
Not Hispanic 52 75.4% 20 69.0% 26 78.8%
Race
Black 4 5.8% 3 10.3% 1 3.0%
White 27 39.1% 10 34.5% 15 45.5%
Asian-American 26 37.7% 4 13.8% 13 39.4%
Native American 1 1.4% 0 0% 0 0%
Native Hawaiian 2 2.9% 0 0% 0 0%
or Pacific Islander
Unknown or 2 2.9% 2 6.9% 0 0%
Declined to
Respond
More than 1 race 5 7.2% 5 17.2% 4 12.1%
Other 2 2.9% 5 17.2% 0 0%
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 30
Table 2
Means and Standard Deviations of LSAS and BDI-II Measures
Table 3
Means and Standard Deviations of Impression Management and Avoidance Safety Behaviors on
Social Affiliation and Social Performance Tasks
SAD MDD HC
SB Type Context M SD M SD M SD
IM SBs Soc Affil 4.71a 1.19 4.03b 1.55 1.95c 1.30
Speech 4.27a 1.34 4.16a 1.42 2.57b 1.66
Av SBs Soc Affil 3.32a 1.51 2.19b 1.50 0.39c 0.65
Speech 3.22a 1.65 2.14b 1.46 0.74c 0.88
Note. Means with different subscripts (a, b, and c) indicate group differences at p < .05 on each
respective task. IM SBs = impression management safety behaviors; Av SBs = avoidance safety
behaviors; Soc Affil = social affiliation task; Speech = social performance task.
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 32
Figure 1
7
Impression Management Saftey Behaviors
0
SAD MDD Non-patient Controls
Diagnostic Group
Table 4
Intercorrelations among measures in clinical sample – Social Affiliation Task
Measure n M SD 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 7.
1. Imp_SBs 99 4.51 1.34 --
2. Avoid_SBs 99 2.98 1.59 .26* --
3. Anx_Behav 99 19.99 4.74 .11 .31** --
4. App_Behav 99 23.07 4.36 -.03 -.39*** -.64*** --
5. STAI-S 99 46.28 9.46 .19 .45*** .36*** -.36*** --
6. PANAS_N 99 15.15 4.76 .25* .46*** .27** -.23* .68*** --
7. PANAS_P 99 20.72 6.83 .13 -.28** -.24* .33** -.52*** -.10 --
Note. * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001. Imp_SBs = impression management safety behaviors (SBQ); Avoid_SBs = avoidance safety
behaviors (SBQ); Anx_Behav = observer-reported anxious behaviors (SJQ); App_Behav = observer-reported approach behaviors
(SJQ); STAI = state anxiety (STAI); PANAS_N = negative affect (PANAS); PANAS_P = positive affect (PANAS)
SAFETY BEHAVIOR SUBTYPES 34
Table 5
Intercorrelations among measures in clinical sample – Social Performance Task
Measure n M SD 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 7.
1. Imp_SBs 99 4.23 1.36 --
2. Avoid_SBs 99 2.89 1.66 .24* --
3. Anx_Behav 72 20.89 6.70 -.29* .37** --
4. App_Behav 72 20.85 4.92 .37** -.31** -.73*** --
5. STAI-S 99 51.62 11.36 .01 .49*** .55*** -.42*** --
6. PANAS_N 99 18.82 7.32 .19 .44*** .43*** -.32*** .77*** --
7. PANAS_P 99 19.93 7.64 .34** -.29** -.45*** .52*** -.52*** -.15 --
Note. * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001. Imp_SBs = impression management safety behaviors (SBQ); Avoid_SBs = avoidance safety
behaviors (SBQ); Anx_Behav = observer-reported anxious behaviors (SJQ); App_Behav = observer-reported approach behaviors
(SJQ); STAI = state anxiety (STAI); PANAS_N = negative affect (PANAS); PANAS_P = positive affect (PANAS)
Highlights
SB subtype use varied by diagnosis (SAD > MDD > non-patient controls).
Declaration of interests
☐ The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships
that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
☒ The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered
as potential competing interests:
Charles T Taylor reports financial support was provided by National Institute of Mental Health. Charles
T Taylor reports financial support was provided by Brain and Behavior Foundation. Charles T. Taylor
declares that in the past 3 years he has been a paid consultant for Bionomics and receives payment
for editorial work for UpToDate and the journal Depression and Anxiety.