Summary: New research from Penn State indicates that rejection from fathers can increase the risk of social anxiety and loneliness in adolescents.
Source: Penn State.
Healthy, supportive parent-child relationships play a crucial role in adolescent development. A Penn State study finds that fathers’ rejection is linked to rising social anxiety in teens, which can lead to greater loneliness and poorer peer relationships.
The study, led by Hio Wa “Grace” Mak, a doctoral student in human development and family studies, explored how parental rejection and overall family climate relate to changes in adolescents’ social anxiety, friendship quality, and loneliness over time. Mak collaborated with Gregory Fosco, associate professor of human development and family studies, and Mark Feinberg, research professor of health and human development, at Penn State’s Prevention Research Center.
Using data from 687 two-parent households, the researchers measured mother and father rejection separately and assessed family climate and youth outcomes at three time points: sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Parents answered questions about feelings of love, distrust and dissatisfaction toward their child, while adolescents reported on their social anxiety, friendship quality and loneliness.
The results showed that higher levels of parental rejection generally corresponded with poorer social adjustment: decreased friendship quality and increased loneliness over time. A more positive family climate was associated with better friendship quality and less loneliness.
Most notably, father rejection during sixth grade predicted an increase in adolescents’ social anxiety by seventh grade. That rise in social anxiety then predicted greater loneliness by eighth grade. In other words, father rejection had an indirect effect on later loneliness through its impact on social anxiety. Mother rejection and family climate were related to changes in friendship quality and loneliness, but it was father rejection specifically that predicted later increases in social anxiety.
“We found that father rejection predicted increases in adolescents’ social anxiety, even when controlling for earlier social anxiety,” Mak explained. “In turn, that social anxiety predicted increases in loneliness later on. Fathers’ rejecting attitudes may make adolescents more fearful of social situations, leading them to avoid interaction or participate with distress, which can increase isolation.”
Fosco emphasized the broader importance of adolescent peer relationships: “Success in forming positive, close relationships is central to this stage of development. These relationships support independence and identity exploration, and they shape psychological and academic outcomes.”
The research highlights social anxiety as a specific mechanism through which family dynamics influence peer outcomes. Social anxiety involves fear of negative peer evaluation and often leads to avoidance or distress in social situations. By linking father rejection to later social anxiety and loneliness, the study points to a family-origin pathway that undermines social development.
These findings have practical implications for interventions aimed at improving adolescents’ social adjustment. Traditionally, programs that support peer relationships are school-based, but the study suggests family processes—particularly the father-child relationship—are key targets. Interventions that reduce parental rejection, improve overall family climate, and directly address adolescent social anxiety could strengthen friendship quality and reduce loneliness.
“When promoting positive peer relationships, we often focus only on the school environment,” Fosco said. “Our findings suggest that involving families, and especially fathers, could be an important piece of helping adolescents feel a stronger sense of belonging and connection.”
Funding: The paper appears in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Research support came from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the Karl R. and Diane Wendle Fink Early Career Professorship for the Study of Families.
Source: Katie Bohn, Penn State. Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com. Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain. Original Research: “The Role of Family for Youth Friendships: Examining a Social Anxiety Mechanism” by Hio Wa Mak, Gregory M. Fosco, and Mark E. Feinberg, Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Published online September 2, 2017. doi:10.1007/s10964-017-0738-9
Abstract
The Role of Family for Youth Friendships: Examining a Social Anxiety Mechanism
This study examined whether parental rejection and family climate predict changes in youth social anxiety, which in turn predict changes in friendship quality and loneliness. Data from mothers, fathers, and youth (mean age at Time 1 = 11.27; 52.3% female) from 687 two-parent households were collected at three time points spanning sixth through eighth grade. Autoregressive, cross-lagged analyses revealed that father rejection at Time 1 (fall of sixth grade) predicted increased youth social anxiety at Time 2 (spring of seventh grade), which then predicted increased loneliness at Time 3 (spring of eighth grade). The indirect effect of father rejection on later loneliness was statistically significant. Mother rejection, father rejection, and a poorer family climate were each associated with declines in friendship quality and increases in loneliness over time. The findings underscore the important role fathers play in the development of youth social anxiety and subsequent social adjustment.