Social Phobia in Undergraduate University Students in Oman: Prevalence and Correlates with Academic Achievement and Personal Characteristics

Abstract

<i>Background</i>: Social Anxiety disorder (SAD) is common worldwide. However, data from Oman is deficient. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of social phobia among undergraduate university students in Oman and investigate its relationship with the subjects’ academic performance and personal characteristics. <i>Methodology</i>: Using a cross-sectional study design, 377 students were selected as a sample from Univercity of the Technology and Applied Scinces at AL-Dhahira Governorate of Oman. A convenience sampling method was adopted to reach out to the participants. The data was collected between March, 2024, to May, 2024. Data from nurses was gathered by a primary survey approach utilizing a closed-ended questionnaire. The statistical analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS (Statistical Tool for Social Sciences) version 20.0. <i>Results</i>: A total of 377 students self-completed the study survey. The results showed a high prevalence (91.2%) of social phobia among study subjects. Single linear-regression analysis indicated a significant association between social phobia and the academic GPA (p = 0.000). The influences of participants’ characteristics on the level of social phobia were also tested among study participants. Analysis utilizing Chi-square test showed that there was a significant association in the gender (p = 0.001), smoking ( p = 0.000) and socioeconomic status (p = 0.018) with the level of social phobia. Using Further analysis utilizing an independent ttest showed that there was a significant difference in the gender ( p = 0.000), medication use (p = 0.020) and history child abuse (p = 0.000) with the level of social phobia. Finally, one way Anova F-Test was applid and socioeconomic status was significant (p = 0.042) with social phobia level. <i>Conclusion</i>: The study came to the conclusion that SAD is prevalent among the sampled population and various associated factors have been found. The current findings may increase healthcare professionals' and academics' awareness of the need of early case detection and management. This study lays the foundation for succeedingstudies that will seek an understanding of the contributing factors related to the incidence of social phobia among Omani university students.