An investigation on the relationship of cognitive distortions with symptoms of social phobia among the students aged between 12-14 -Adana sample-

In this study, the relationship of cognitive distortions levels with symptoms of social phobia levels among the students in early adolescence (12-14 years) and the factors affecting these levels were examined. Out of 591 students, who were educated in the city of Adana and selected by simple random sampling, 257 were males and 334 were females in the study. "Irrational Beliefs Scale for Adolescents (EMİÖ)" and "Çapa Social Phobia Scale for Children and Adolescents (ÇESFÖ)" were used as measurement tools. Examining the results obtained, ÇESFÖ scores were seen to increase as EMİÖ scores increased (r = 0.66). Social phobia scores were found to increase as the scores of being success-oriented (irrational beliefs subscale) increased (r = 0.41). Students' average achievement levels were observed to increase as their irrational beliefs levels increased (p <0.05). ÇESFÖ scores of the students, who identified their parents' attitudes as indifferent, were seen to increase (p <0.05). The results of the study suggested that high levels of irrational beliefs might have been the reason to high levels of social phobia. Factors such as students' academic achievements and family structure were found to be effective on levels of irrational beliefs and social anxiety. Key words: Cognitive distortions, irrational beliefs, social phobia, early adolescence