<p>Social Phobia and Its Impact on Quality of Life Among Regular Undergraduate Students of Mettu University, Mettu, Ethiopia</p>

Abstract

Point your SmartPhone at the code above. If you have a QR code reader the video abstract will appear. Or use: https://youtu.be/ggViE65C2FoBackground: Social anxiety disorder is a serious and disabling mental health problem that begins before or during adolescence, with the potential to significantly interfere with an individual's daily functioning and overall quality of life.Objective: The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence, severity, and quality of life towards social anxiety disorder among students of Mettu University, Ethiopia. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a stratified sample of 523 undergraduate students to identify the prevalence, correlates of social anxiety disorder, and impacts on quality life. All participants completed the Social Phobia Inventory, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, and World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Form, Turkish Version (WHOQOL-BREF-TR). Of 523 students, 26% were screened positive for social anxiety disorder. About 69.4% and 17.4% of the students had mild and moderate symptoms of social anxiety disorder, respectively. WHOQOL BREF-TR scores showed that students with social phobia had significantly lower quality of life quality than those without social phobia. Being criticized by others or fear of parties was the most commonly feared situations. Talking to strangers was the most commonly avoided situations. Being females, current tobacco use, and family history of psychiatric illness were factors significantly associated with social phobia symptoms using logistic regression analysis. Conclusion:The current study shows high prevalence of social phobia among the university students and its significant negative effects on quality of life which require prompt identification and treatment.

Quality of Life and Clinical Correlates in Adults with Social Phobia: A Scoping Review

“…Within patients with comorbid conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia, the rates ranged between 12.7% to 17% [ 4 , 18 ]. Within university undergraduates, studies have reported rates of up to 37.6% [ 3 , 8 ].…”

“…Regarding gender, SP seems to affect females more than males within the community [ 4 , 13 , 14 ] and undergraduates [ 3 , 8 , 19 ]. In community-based studies, there is greater preponderance of females being associated with SP up to 1.6 fold [ 14 ].…”

“…In community-based studies, there is greater preponderance of females being associated with SP up to 1.6 fold [ 14 ]. Within undergraduates, using logistic regression analysis, one study showed that being female was associated with SP [ 3 ], while another showed that the risk of SP was 1.7-fold higher among females than males [ 19 ]. In a clinic sample of patients undergoing bariatric surgery with SP, Mirijello et al [ 20 ] found that males have a lower propensity than females to meet the cut-off for a diagnosis of SP when measured with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS).…”

“…Social Phobia (SP), also known as Social Anxiety Disorder, is a potentially debilitating condition characterised by the marked fear or anxiety regarding social or performance situations related to potential scrutiny and negative evaluation by others, with lifetime prevalence estimates of up to 16% in high income countries [ 1 , 2 ], and can result in functional impairments involving occupational, social and academic domains within affected individuals [ 1 , 3 ]. In addition, the presence of medical and psychiatric comorbidities may further compound the negative impact of SP on an individual [ 4 - 6 ].…”

“…and interpersonal (social relationships) arenas [ 6 ]. Over time, there has been increasing interest in examining the health-related QoL amongst individuals with SP within different contexts (such as students, within the community, those with existing medical conditions) [ 3 , 8 , 11 - 13 ] and related to different subtypes of the condition (such as complexity of fears) [ 14 ]. Given that individuals with SP often delay seeking help, an understanding of the interrelationships between QoL and specific demographic and clinical features of SP identified through the review could give clinicians a better idea of what to look out for during routine patient examinations.…”