Bloosangst: onderliggende mechanismen en daarop gebaseerde interventies

Corine Dijk, Peter J. de Jong

Jaargang 2013 - Nummer 4 - dinsdag 4 november 2025

Samenvatting

Mensen met bloosangst vormen een heterogene groep waarvan een groot deel ook voldoet aan de criteria van een sociale angststoornis maar een deel ook niet. Bloosangst gaat vaak gepaard met pervasief vermijdingsgedrag en het gebruik van disfunctioneel veiligheidsgedrag om te voorkomen dat anderen het blozen kunnen zien. De lijdensdruk kan groot zijn en een groeiende groep bloosangstigen kiest voor een drastische chirurgische oplossing om van hun blozen af te komen. Verschillende processen kunnen bijdragen aan het ontstaan en voortduren van de angst. Zo kan het gevoel te blozen negatieve gedachten uitlokken over de gevolgen van het blozen. Deze negatieve gedachten kunnen leiden tot angst, hetgeen op zijn beurt weer kan zorgen voor een versterking van de aandacht voor de bron van angst: het blozen. De kans om in zo’n negatieve spiraal verstrikt te raken is waarschijnlijk groot voor bloosangstigen omdat zij de intensiteit van hun blozen overschatten en in sommige situaties ook daadwerkelijk meer en/of sneller lijken te blozen. Dit artikel bespreekt de empirische evidentie voor deze verschillende processen in samenhang met de klinische implicaties.

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