Social Psychology Research

Abstract Introduction: Social anxiety is a prevalent psychological issue among children and adolescents, negatively affecting their mental health and academic achievement. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of mentalization in the relationship between childhood maltreatment, perceived social support, and symptoms of social anxiety among female senior high school students in Kermanshah. Method: This study employed a correlational design using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population comprised all female senior high school students in Kermanshah during the 2023–2024 academic year (approximately 25,000 individuals). A sample of 292 students was selected using cluster sampling. Data collection instruments included the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A; La Greca & Lopez, 1998), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ; Bernstein, 2003), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Zimet et al., 1988), and the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ; Dimitrijević et al., 2017). Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine relationships between variables, and the proposed model was tested using SEM. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 28 and AMOS version 24. Results: Findings indicated that perceived social support had both direct and indirect effects (mediated by mentalization) on social anxiety (p < 0.01). Childhood maltreatment had a direct effect on social anxiety (p < 0.01). Model fit indices confirmed the adequacy of the proposed model, and the predictor variables collectively explained 62% of the variance in social anxiety. Conclusion: The results highlight the complex and multidimensional psychological pathways linking early experiences to emotional outcomes in adolescence. Mentalization, as a mediating factor, can play a significant role in the early identification of social anxiety and in the development of effective interventions aimed at preventing its adverse effects on adolescent mental health.