Relationship between Social Appearance Anxiety, Self-Concealment and Loneliness among Young Adults

Abstract

Young adulthood is a very crucial developmental period and it fills the gap between adolescence and independent adulthood. When an individual enters the stage of young

adulthood the individual faces many new challenges and difficulties and they have new responsibilities which they have to fulfil. Self-concealment which means concealing the personal information from others which one perceives as distressing or negative. Self- concealment is a subset of private information that can be consciously accessed and is concealed from others. Self-concealment is the opposite of self-disclosure. Self-concealment is related to depression, social anxiety, shyness and other psychological problems. Appearance is one of the main focal points of young people in virtual relations. Appearance anxiety is very common in young adults these days. Social appearance anxiety is a kind of anxiety about being negatively evaluated in terms of one’s overall appearance. Social appearance anxiety is rejection in terms of physical attractiveness. Appearance anxiety influences the feelings of loneliness. Human beings are social beings, and they socially interact with their surroundings. Loneliness is a feeling arising out of absence or the perceived absence of social relationships. The research aimed to study the relationship of social appearance anxiety, self-concealment, and loneliness among young adults. Standardized tools were used to measure social appearance anxiety, self-concealment, and loneliness among young adults. A total sample of 100 in the age range of 18-25 were collected. The results found out that there is a significant positive correlation between self- concealment and social appearance anxiety. Further, the results also found out there is a significant positive correlation between loneliness and social appearance anxiety and a significant positive correlation between loneliness and self-concealment. Regression analysis indicated that loneliness is a significant predictor of self-concealment. Regression analysis indicated that loneliness is a significant predictor of social appearance anxiety. Regression analysis indicated that self-concealment is a significant predictor of social appearance anxiety. These difficulties are positively associated with mental health problems and the well- being of young adults. When young adults are facing these issues it is important for them to seek assistance, either through therapy or attending support groups, they can even use early interventions or speak with a trusted family member or a friend.