The Relationship between Social Intelligence and Social Anxiety with the Emphasizing on Mediating Role of Coping Strategies among Students in Kavian Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad

Radfar, Gita; Hajiarbabi, Fatemeh; Sabour Esmaeili, Nooshin

doi:10.22034/jsm.2025.228531

The Relationship between Social Intelligence and Social Anxiety with the Emphasizing on Mediating Role of Coping Strategies among Students in Kavian Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Gita Radfar

Fatemeh Hajiarbabi

Nooshin Sabour Esmaeili

Kavian Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad

10.22034/jsm.2025.228531

Abstract

This research was conducted to investigate the relationship between social intelligence and social anxiety with emphasis on the mediating role of coping strategies among students of Kavian Non-Profit Higher Education Institute in Mashhad. This research is descriptive-correlational in terms of methodology and applied in terms of purpose. The statistical population included 927 students at associate, bachelor's, and master's levels. In this study, the sample size was calculated as 274 individuals (199 female students and 75 male students) using Morgan's table. The sampling method in this research was multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS), Social Phobia Inventory (SPI), and Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOCQ). Data analysis was performed using SPSS and SmartPLS 4 software. Findings showed that coping strategies play a significant mediating role in the relationship between social intelligence and social anxiety. Specifically, the results suggest that students with higher social intelligence tend to use more effective coping strategies, which in turn leads to reduced social anxiety. Conversely, students with lower social intelligence are more likely to use ineffective coping strategies, which can lead to increased social anxiety.These results emphasize the importance of strengthening social intelligence and teaching effective coping strategies to reduce social anxiety in students.

Keywords

Keywords: Social intelligence

social anxiety

coping strategies

students

Subjects