SOCIAL ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS: PREVALANCE AND MORBIDITY

Abstract

Objective: To explore the prevalence of “social anxiety” among adolescent student of Pakistani students.

Study Design: Cross sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Psychology, University of Gujrat, from 10th Oct 2017 to 30th Mar 2018.

Methodology: The 716 adolescent students (344 male & 372 females) were assessed through Pakistani version of the scale initially developed by La Greca and Lopez in 1989 to measure social anxiety titled “Social Anxiety Scale– Adolescents”.

Results: There was high prevalence of anxiety in adolescents as 22.5% of sample scored high on the SAS-A. No marked gender differences were observed on variable of interest. However, when analyzed for morbidity of social anxiety across early, middle and late adolescent groups it was observed that relatively less number of students in late adolescents scored high as 21.16% on social anxiety as compared to early 21.43% and middle
adolescents 25.5%. Among high scorers in middle adolescents there was the greater number of boys as 59% reflecting middle adolescents as the most critical times for male adolescents.

Conclusion: Social anxiety was found a most prevalent disorder in adolescents and morbidity of social anxiety alarmingly increase in youth.