Role of rumination in the relationship between metacognition and shyness.

AIM: To explore the association between metacognitive beliefs, rumination and shyness in a non-clinical sample of adults. METHODS: One hundred and three healthy subjects from the general population were enrolled in the study. Shyness was evaluated using the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, rumination was assessed using the Ruminative Response Scale, metacognition was evaluated using the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire 30, and anxiety levels were measured using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory form Y. Correlation analyses, mediation models and 95% bias-corrected and accelerated (BCaCI) bootstrapped analyses were performed. Mediation analyses were adjusted for sex and anxiety. RESULTS: Shyness, rumination and metacognition were significantly correlated (P < 0.05). The relationship between metacognition and shyness was fully mediated by rumination (Indirect effect: 0.20; 95% BCaCI: 0.08-0.33). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest an association between metacognition and shyness. Rumination mediated the relationship between metacognition and shyness, suggesting that rumination could be a cognitive strategy for shy people. Future research should explore the relationship between these constructs in more depth.

What shy individuals do to cope with their shyness: a content analysis and evaluation of self-selected coping strategies.

A content analysis of the written responses of 158 shy individuals was performed to investigate the nature of the self-selected strategies they reported using to deal with their shyness. The classification, along with the frequency of their use, of the self-selected strategies by four raters identified 10 separate categories, with the top five labeled forced extraversion (65%), cognitively induced self-reassurance (26%), educational extraversion (15.2%), sought professional help (14.6%), and alcohol-assisted extraversion (12.7%). An evaluation of the self-selected strategies indicated that they were associated with characteristic features that were incomplete, self-defeating, and/or potentially dangerous (e.g., self-medication). Suggestions as to how shy individuals might improve the effectiveness of these self-selected strategies for dealing with their shyness and the therapeutic implications associated with seeking professional assistance for shyness are presented.