Social & Interpersonal Symptoms in Teens: Signs, Causes, and Support

October 14, 2025

Authored by: Emma Loker, B.S.

Edited by: Jemma Strain, B.S. Psychology

The teenage years can be a trying time for relationships. Teens are often faced with challenging situations at school, as well as with peers and family. Many of these challenges come down to how adolescence is an important window of identity development, in which a teen explores who they are by testing out different roles.

However, forming healthy relationships is a key component of healthy emotional development. While some teens may have a relatively easy time adjusting to new social situations and roles, others may struggle to cope. These struggles can lead to social and interpersonal symptoms in teens.

If your child is finding it difficult to interact socially with others, a mental health professional can provide understanding and guidance. This page can also help families better understand social and interpersonal symptoms in teens, as it covers:

What social and interpersonal difficulties in teens are
Symptoms of social and interpersonal issues
The causes of social and interpersonal difficulties
Treatment options for social issues
Where to find professional support

What Are Social and Interpersonal Difficulties in Teens?

Interpersonal relationship issues span a wide range of potential challenges in teens. Some might struggle with isolation and a lack of fulfilling relationships, while others might have more trouble with co-dependency or an overreliance on relationships to maintain their own mental health. This being said, these issues can lead to serious mental health difficulties in adolescence if left unaddressed, including depression, anxiety, and personality disorders.^1,2

Addressing these social and interpersonal difficulties early can help teens develop better coping skills, which can work as protective factors against worsening mental health. The first step in this process is identifying the symptoms of these issues, which we focus on next.

Symptoms of Social and Interpersonal Issues in Teens

As stated earlier, social and interpersonal symptoms vary from person to person. The behavior of one teen struggling with these issues can look very different from their peers. However, there are some commonalities in what these challenges can look like.

Below, we outline some of the common social and interpersonal symptoms:

Decreased Trust and Communication:

Lower levels of trust and communication can become especially apparent in friendships during the adolescent years. However, an overall decrease in verbal communication is an apparent social withdrawal symptom.²

For instance, you might notice your teen withdraws from their friend group or doesn’t initiate plans and conversations. Other signs of trust issues in relationships include questioning friendships and hesitancy towards making new friends or disclosing information to peers. This behavior is associated with anxiety disorders in teens.

Conflict With Parents or Caregivers:

Interpersonal relationship issues carry over into family dynamics. For example, if teens are constantly arguing with parents or engaging in excessive conflict with family members, this may indicate trouble communicating with others. This behavior is associated with teen depression and other mood disorders, which can be successfully treated, especially if identified promptly.²

Loneliness:

Teenagers have a strong desire for healthy social connections, but if they cannot form those relationships, it can lead to feelings of intense loneliness, which should not be overlooked. Though it might initially seem trivial, loneliness is associated with more severe emotional and behavioral issues later on in life, including self-harm and suicidal ideation.¹

Excessive Reassurance Seeking:

Oftentimes, teens are faced with fears about their own self-worth, leading to self-esteem issues. Therefore, reassurance seeking can involve a reliance on close friends and family members to validate thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Additionally, adolescents who are positively reinforced for reassurance seeking will likely continue the behavior, and this approval-seeking behavior has been linked to future mental health issues.³

While these are some of the most well-known signs of social and interpersonal issues, you may notice different symptoms in your teen. If you’re unsure, it’s always best to seek professional advice.

What Causes Social and Interpersonal Difficulties in Teens?

There isn’t a single cause of social and interpersonal difficulties in teens, which can make it difficult to find the right treatment for their needs. However, there are several factors that have been identified in current research. Increasing awareness of these could help guide parents and professionals toward the right treatment approach.

Some potential causes of social and interpersonal difficulties in teens may include:

Parental or Caregiver Relationships

The relationships that teens form with their parents typically play a key role in how they regulate emotions. If this relationship is rejecting or misattuned, a child may develop social and interpersonal problems. This concept is closely tied to attachment theory in psychology, which suggests that parenting styles can greatly influence how a teen feels and acts in relationships.⁴ For example, children with more secure attachment styles have been shown to better regulate their emotions and develop more fulfilling relationships in life. In contrast, teens with insecure attachment often exhibit fear of abandonment and conflict avoidance in relationships.

Social Anxiety and Interpersonal Problems

For some teens, an underlying anxiety disorder can be the main cause of interpersonal problems. For example, teens with social anxiety might spend a lot of time on social media because they lack support in their lives but want a sense of belonging. Additionally, people with social anxiety may end up displaying episodes of anger as a result of the negative emotions they are coping with on an interpersonal level.⁵

While social anxiety is the most obvious anxiety disorder that can lead to interpersonal issues, there are other anxiety disorders associated with these problems. For instance, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety, and specific phobias also play a role in healthy vs. unhealthy relationships for teen mental health.⁵

Depression and Emotional Dependence Symptoms

Underlying mood disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD) can increase emotional dependence symptoms in teens and could, subsequently, negatively impact relationships.

This effect comes down to how depression has been linked to objective and subjective feelings of rejection in social situations, which is often displayed in excessive reassurance-seeking behavior. For instance, teens could become dependent on others to maintain a positive view of themselves, which can create a harmful cycle of co-dependency. Further, romantic relationships also tend to suffer when teens have depression.⁶

Intrapersonal Emotion Regulation Difficulties

Being able to regulate your emotions internally doesn’t necessarily come naturally. Some teens struggle with this more than others, and if they tend to use maladaptive behaviors to cope with negative emotions, this can take a toll on their relationships. For example, when faced with negative thoughts, some might work hard to challenge these thoughts and replace them with positive affirmations. In contrast, those with emotion regulation difficulties might lean more into negative thinking. This might involve seeking out negative feedback from their peers and family, serving as a self-fulfilling prophecy and reinforcing maladaptive core beliefs.³

Treatment for Social and Interpersonal Issues in Teens

There are many treatment options for teens with social and interpersonal issues, ranging from self-management with coping skills and outpatient therapy to more intensive inpatient treatment. Depending on the severity of the problems and the difficulties they cause in everyday life, specific treatment options may be more appropriate than others.

We cover some of these treatment options below.

Outpatient Therapy for Teens

Research supports the effectiveness of different therapeutic interventions for teens struggling with social issues. One option is Interpersonal Psychotherapy Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), which combines individual therapy with group sessions in a school setting to build positive social skills. This type of treatment is often used preventively for teens at risk of developing depression or other mood disorders.⁷

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is another common treatment option and may be especially effective for social anxiety disorder and depression. Outpatient CBT usually involves weekly individual psychotherapy sessions focused on challenging cognitive distortions and developing more helpful social skills to improve relationships. In addition to individual CBT, there are also options for group CBT sessions and psychoeducational sessions for parents and caregivers.⁸

Positive Coping Strategies for Teens

Whether a teen receives structured outpatient treatment for their mental health issues or works on their own may depend on their motivation for change and the severity of their symptoms. If a family feels that their teen’s symptoms could benefit from positive coping strategies at home to address interpersonal issues, there are plenty of resources to get started.^5,7 Additionally, these strategies can complement techniques learned in therapy sessions.

Some common coping strategies for teens include:

Positive self-talk
Gratitude journaling
Role-playing
Distraction with hobbies
Mindfulness meditation

It’s often important to try out different strategies to figure out which are the most effective for a teen in a specific situation.

Inpatient Treatment for Interpersonal Difficulties

For more severe interpersonal and social problems in teens, inpatient or residential treatment might be recommended. This type of treatment is more intensive and involves round-the-clock support and supervision in a reputable mental health facility.

During inpatient treatment, teens can receive individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and medication management as needed to address concerning symptoms. Moreover, according to research, residential treatment facilities have also been shown to promote better coping strategies and overall feelings of well-being in teens.⁹

Parental Support for Teens With Interpersonal and Social Difficulties

Although much of the work involved in addressing interpersonal and social difficulties falls on the teenager, parents can play a pivotal role in providing support for their child. As mentioned, CBT is one therapeutic modality that incorporates parent education on social and interpersonal issues.

By gaining more knowledge on these issues and potential skills to combat the negative effects of social challenges, parents can help their teen manage their mental health. In addition, residential and inpatient treatment facilities often encourage family therapy sessions to bring parents and teens together in treatment.⁸

No matter the severity of the interpersonal and social problems, there are treatment options available. Remaining hopeful and motivated to pursue treatment can help promote better social and interpersonal outcomes – and a mental health professional can guide this process.

Mission Prep: Support for Teen Social and Interpersonal Issues

At Mission Prep, we’re experienced in managing a variety of teen social and interpersonal issues. Based on this experience, we’ve developed and successfully implemented a variety of treatment options that can help you and your child.

We offer outpatient services as well as residential mental health treatment for teens. Incorporating different therapeutic modalities, such as CBT, we can focus on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns that lead to teen social and interpersonal issues.

If you’re not sure what option is best for your child, call us today to find out more. We can walk you through the different services available and which options might be most appropriate for your teen. Reaching out is the first step to gaining access to life-changing treatment.

References

Stepp, S. D., Morse, J. Q., Yaggi, K. E., Reynolds, S. K., Reed, L. I., & Pilkonis, P. A. (2008). The role of attachment styles and interpersonal problems in Suicide‐Related Behaviors. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 38(5), 592–607. https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.2008.38.5.592
Starr, L. R., & Davila, J. (2008). Differentiating interpersonal correlates of depressive symptoms and social anxiety in adolescence: Implications for Models of Comorbidity. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37(2), 337–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374410801955854
Schwartz-Mette, R. A., Lawrence, H. R., Shankman, J., Fearey, E., & Harrington, R. (2021). Intrapersonal emotion regulation difficulties and maladaptive interpersonal behavior in adolescence. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 49(6), 749–761. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00739-z
Wilson, S. V., Szwedo, D. E., & Allen, J. P. (2024). Interparental and Parent–Teen Relationships during Adolescence as Predictors of Intra- and Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in Young Adulthood. Youth, 4(4), 1417–1436. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth4040090
Hofmann, S. G. (2014). Interpersonal emotion regulation model of mood and anxiety disorders. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 38(5), 483–492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-014-9620-1
Lennarz, H. K., Van Roekel, E., Kuntsche, E., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Hollenstein, T., Engels, R. C. M. E., & Granic, I. (2016). Associations between interpersonal relationships and negative affect in adolescents. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 75(2), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185/a000172
Young, J. F., Mufson, L., & Davies, M. (2006). Efficacy of Interpersonal Psychotherapy‐Adolescent Skills Training: an indicated preventive intervention for depression. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(12), 1254–1262. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01667.x
Herbert, J. D., Gaudiano, B. A., Rheingold, A. A., Moitra, E., Myers, V. H., Dalrymple, K. L., & Brandsma, L. L. (2008). Cognitive behavior therapy for generalized social anxiety disorder in adolescents: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23(2), 167–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.06.004
Barendregt, C. S., Van Der Laan, A. M., Bongers, I. L., & Van Nieuwenhuizen, C. (2014). Adolescents in secure residential care: the role of active and passive coping on general well-being and self-esteem. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(7), 845–854. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0629-5

Tagged Authored By Emma Loker, Edited By Jemma Strain