Nejra Van Zalk
Biographic Data
| ID | 6366763 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nejra Van Zalk |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nejra |
| FAMILY NAME | Van Zalk |
| SIGNATURE | VAN ZALK N |
| AFFILIATIONS | Örebro University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3504-9037 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 2 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Virtual reality delivered exposure for fear of needles
Virtual Reality Exposure-Based Therapy appears to be an effective and highly acceptable intervention for reducing immediate anxiety related to needle exposure, demonstrating strong potential as a scalable, accessible alternative to traditional exposure therapy. However, further research is necessary to confirm these findings, optimize intervention protocols, and examine long-term effectiveness for fear of needles
Humans Mindlessly Treat AI Virtual Agents as Social Beings, but This Tendency Diminishes Among the Young
The “social being” perspective has largely influenced the design and research of AI virtual agents. Do humans really treat these agents as social beings? To test this, we conducted a 2 between (Cyberball condition: exclusion vs. fair play) × 2 within (coplayer type: AGENT vs. HUMAN) online experiment employing the Cyberball paradigm; we investigated how participants ( N = 244) responded when they observed an AI virtual agent being ostracised or t…
Online Peer Engagement in Adolescence
The Development of Internalizing Behaviors in Early Adolescence
This special issue highlights a number of important processes that help explain the emergence and continuation of internalizing psychopathology (i.e., problem behaviors characterized by inner distress) during early adolescence. The five articles making up the special issue are introduced, each of which represents exciting new work regarding how, why, and for whom internalizing problems develop and are maintained. The introduction to the special i…
Social Anxiety-Impulsivity Subgroups and Links to Later Emotional Adjustment in Adolescence
A growing body of research has acknowledged the heterogeneity of subclinical social anxiety, identifying a subgroup of individuals who exhibit high levels of impulsivity. In a sample of Swedish early adolescents ( N = 2,509, M age = 13.64; 52.8% girls), we conducted latent transition analyses (LTA) to identify four classes of subclinical social anxiety-impulsivity across three time points. We identified a Low Social Anxiety-Low Impulsivity class,…
Social anxiety increases visible anxiety signs during social encounters but does not impair performance
These results suggest that the impairing effects of social anxiety within the non-clinical range may exacerbate overt behavioral agitation during high demand social challenges but have little impact on other observable aspects of performance quality
Longitudinal Links Between Adolescent Social Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms
This study focuses on the temporal sequence between social anxiety and depressive symptoms, and whether cybervictimization might mediate these links. We used a longitudinal sample of 501 early adolescents (51.9% girls; M age = 13.96) followed at three time points. Using a cross-lagged path model in MPlus, we found that social anxiety predicted depressive symptoms over time, but not the other way around. Time-1 depressive symptoms also predicted c…
Mothers’ and Fathers’ Worry and Over-Control
This study investigated the links between parental worry, parental over-control and adolescent social anxiety in parent-adolescent dyads. Using a longitudinal sample of adolescents (M age = 14.28) and their parents (224 mother-daughter, 234 mother-son, 51 father-daughter, and 47 father-son dyads), comparisons were conducted using cross-lagged path models across two time points. We used adolescent reports of social anxiety and feelings of being ov…
Does Shyness Vary According to Attained Social Roles? Trends Across Age Groups in a Large British Sample
Mean levels of shyness are likely to vary according to adopted social roles, gender, and age
Social anxiety moderates the links between excessive chatting and compulsive Internet use
Excessive online chatting can lead to unwanted consequences such as compulsive Internet use over time. Not all adolescents use chatting for the same purpose, however, and these links may not be as pronounced for socially anxious adolescents as they likely communicate with others online in order to compensate for offline social inadequacies. The current study investigated whether social anxiety moderated the links between excessive chatting and co…
The Importance of Perceived Care and Connectedness with Friends and Parents for Adolescent Social Anxiety
Nonclinical social anxiety in adolescence can be highly problematic, as it likely affects current and especially new social interactions. Relationships with significant others, such as close friends, mothers, and fathers, could aid socially anxious adolescents’ participation in social situations, thereby helping reduce feelings of social anxiety. We examined whether making friends as well as high friendship quality help reduce social anxiety over…
Social Anxiety as a Basis for Friendship Selection and Socialization in Adolescents' Social Networks
Socially anxious children and adolescents have previously been found to have friends with similarly socially anxious, withdrawn behavioral characteristics. How peers might socialize social anxiety over time has, however, not been thoroughly investigated. We examined this in a sample of 834 youths (339 girls and 495 boys; M=14.29), followed for 3 years. We used the social network analysis software SIENA to analyze the data. The results showed that…
Social Anxiety as a Basis for Friendship Selection and Socialization in Adolescents' Social Networks
Socially anxious children and adolescents have previously been found to have friends with similarly socially anxious, withdrawn behavioral characteristics. How peers might socialize social anxiety over time has, however, not been thoroughly investigated. We examined this in a sample of 834 youths (339 girls and 495 boys; M=14.29), followed for 3 years. We used the social network analysis software SIENA to analyze the data. The results showed that…
Social Anxiety-Impulsivity Subgroups and Links to Later Emotional Adjustment in Adolescence
A growing body of research has acknowledged the heterogeneity of subclinical social anxiety, identifying a subgroup of individuals who exhibit high levels of impulsivity. In a sample of Swedish early adolescents ( N = 2,509, M age = 13.64; 52.8% girls), we conducted latent transition analyses (LTA) to identify four classes of subclinical social anxiety-impulsivity across three time points. We identified a Low Social Anxiety-Low Impulsivity class,…
Social Anxiety as a Basis for Friendship Selection and Socialization in Adolescents' Social Networks
Socially anxious children and adolescents have previously been found to have friends with similarly socially anxious, withdrawn behavioral characteristics. How peers might socialize social anxiety over time has, however, not been thoroughly investigated. We examined this in a sample of 834 youths (339 girls and 495 boys; M=14.29), followed for 3 years. We used the social network analysis software SIENA to analyze the data. The results showed that…
Social Anxiety as a Basis for Friendship Selection and Socialization in Adolescents' Social Networks
Socially anxious children and adolescents have previously been found to have friends with similarly socially anxious, withdrawn behavioral characteristics. How peers might socialize social anxiety over time has, however, not been thoroughly investigated. We examined this in a sample of 834 youths (339 girls and 495 boys; M=14.29), followed for 3 years. We used the social network analysis software SIENA to analyze the data. The results showed that…
The Importance of Perceived Care and Connectedness with Friends and Parents for Adolescent Social Anxiety
Nonclinical social anxiety in adolescence can be highly problematic, as it likely affects current and especially new social interactions. Relationships with significant others, such as close friends, mothers, and fathers, could aid socially anxious adolescents’ participation in social situations, thereby helping reduce feelings of social anxiety. We examined whether making friends as well as high friendship quality help reduce social anxiety over…
Social anxiety moderates the links between excessive chatting and compulsive Internet use
Excessive online chatting can lead to unwanted consequences such as compulsive Internet use over time. Not all adolescents use chatting for the same purpose, however, and these links may not be as pronounced for socially anxious adolescents as they likely communicate with others online in order to compensate for offline social inadequacies. The current study investigated whether social anxiety moderated the links between excessive chatting and co…
Does Shyness Vary According to Attained Social Roles? Trends Across Age Groups in a Large British Sample
Mean levels of shyness are likely to vary according to adopted social roles, gender, and age
Longitudinal Links Between Adolescent Social Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms
This study focuses on the temporal sequence between social anxiety and depressive symptoms, and whether cybervictimization might mediate these links. We used a longitudinal sample of 501 early adolescents (51.9% girls; M age = 13.96) followed at three time points. Using a cross-lagged path model in MPlus, we found that social anxiety predicted depressive symptoms over time, but not the other way around. Time-1 depressive symptoms also predicted c…
Mothers’ and Fathers’ Worry and Over-Control
This study investigated the links between parental worry, parental over-control and adolescent social anxiety in parent-adolescent dyads. Using a longitudinal sample of adolescents (M age = 14.28) and their parents (224 mother-daughter, 234 mother-son, 51 father-daughter, and 47 father-son dyads), comparisons were conducted using cross-lagged path models across two time points. We used adolescent reports of social anxiety and feelings of being ov…
Social anxiety increases visible anxiety signs during social encounters but does not impair performance
These results suggest that the impairing effects of social anxiety within the non-clinical range may exacerbate overt behavioral agitation during high demand social challenges but have little impact on other observable aspects of performance quality
Online Peer Engagement in Adolescence
The Development of Internalizing Behaviors in Early Adolescence
This special issue highlights a number of important processes that help explain the emergence and continuation of internalizing psychopathology (i.e., problem behaviors characterized by inner distress) during early adolescence. The five articles making up the special issue are introduced, each of which represents exciting new work regarding how, why, and for whom internalizing problems develop and are maintained. The introduction to the special i…
Social Anxiety-Impulsivity Subgroups and Links to Later Emotional Adjustment in Adolescence
A growing body of research has acknowledged the heterogeneity of subclinical social anxiety, identifying a subgroup of individuals who exhibit high levels of impulsivity. In a sample of Swedish early adolescents ( N = 2,509, M age = 13.64; 52.8% girls), we conducted latent transition analyses (LTA) to identify four classes of subclinical social anxiety-impulsivity across three time points. We identified a Low Social Anxiety-Low Impulsivity class,…
Humans Mindlessly Treat AI Virtual Agents as Social Beings, but This Tendency Diminishes Among the Young
The “social being” perspective has largely influenced the design and research of AI virtual agents. Do humans really treat these agents as social beings? To test this, we conducted a 2 between (Cyberball condition: exclusion vs. fair play) × 2 within (coplayer type: AGENT vs. HUMAN) online experiment employing the Cyberball paradigm; we investigated how participants ( N = 244) responded when they observed an AI virtual agent being ostracised or t…
Virtual reality delivered exposure for fear of needles
Virtual Reality Exposure-Based Therapy appears to be an effective and highly acceptable intervention for reducing immediate anxiety related to needle exposure, demonstrating strong potential as a scalable, accessible alternative to traditional exposure therapy. However, further research is necessary to confirm these findings, optimize intervention protocols, and examine long-term effectiveness for fear of needles
Developmental psychology (11 works) · Psychology (11 works) · Anxiety (9 works) · Psychiatry (8 works) · Social anxiety (8 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (7 works) · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes (6 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Impact of Technology on Adolescents (5 works)