Studyholism and Study Engagement in Adolescence: The Role of Social Anxiety and Interpretation Bias as Antecedents

Yura Loscalzo and Marco Giannini
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Yura Loscalzo: Department of Health Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Florence, Italy
Marco Giannini: Department of Health Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Florence, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: Studyholism (or obsession toward study) is a new potential clinical condition that, in contrast with Study Engagement, is associated with negative outcomes. However, previous studies showed that both Studyholism and Study Engagement predict social impairment due to study. Therefore, we analyzed the role of social anxiety and interpretation bias as predictors of Studyholism and Study Engagement in 541 adolescents ( M age = 16.30 ± 1.59; 66% girls). We performed a path analysis model, MANOVAs, and Mann–Whitney tests. Among the main findings, social anxiety is a positive predictor of both Studyholism and Study Engagement. Hence, this provides further support to the conceptualization of Studyholism as an OCD-related disorder (or as an internalizing disorder) and suggests the need of screening socially anxious adolescents for the presence of Studyholism and engaged students for the presence of high social anxiety. Moreover, Studyholism is predicted by a negative interpretation style in non-social situations, while a positive interpretation style predicts Study Engagement in social and non-social situations. Hence, Studyholism and social anxiety are two different diagnoses, even if social anxiety might fuel Studyholism. Moreover, interventions to reduce Studyholism should decrease the tendency to interpret non-social situations negatively or neutrally.

Keywords: Studyholism; study engagement; study addiction; Workaholism; work addiction; work engagement; OCD; social anxiety; interpretation bias; interpretative bias (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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