Skip to content
2000
Volume 5, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 0250-6882
  • E-ISSN: 0250-6882
file format pdf download PDF
side by side viewer icon HTML

Abstract

Introduction and Objective:

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is an excessive and irrational fear of social situations, leading to an avoidance of those situations. Individuals with SAD may fear acting in a certain way or exhibiting anxiety symptoms in front of others, which can significantly impact their daily functioning and quality of life. Among medical students, SAD can negatively influence academic performance, particularly in exams, and lead to employment difficulties. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unique stressors, including social isolation and the transition to online learning, which may have exacerbated anxiety-related conditions. Understanding the prevalence and associated factors of SAD during this period is essential to develop targeted interventions for students. Thus, this work aimed to assess the prevalence and demographic correlates of SAD among medical students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman during the pandemic.

Methods:

A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September to October 2020 in SQU, College of Medicine and Health Sciences. Medical students from all academic years were invited to complete demographic data and the Liebowitz social anxiety scale (LSAS). The LSAS is a 24-item self-rating scale to assess SAD. An analysis using a Chi-square test was performed to obtain the factors associated with SAD.

Results:

A total of 558 students completed the questionnaire, of which 348 were female (62%). The total prevalence of SAD was 64%, whereas moderate grade SAD accounted for 27% of the participants, marked grade 19%, severe grade 11%, and very severe grade 7%. Among the students who had the disorder, 71% suffered a generalized subtype of SAD. A significant association between SAD and phase of study (<0.001), age group (<0.001), and gender (<0.001) was found. Phase 1 (69%) exhibited the highest prevalence, followed by phase 2 (66%) and phase 3 (48%). Among the age groups, 17-19 years group (67%) demonstrated the highest prevalence, followed by age groups 20-22 (64%) and 23-25 (46%). In terms of gender, females (70%) were more likely to display SAD symptoms than males (52%).

Conclusion:

The results of this study indicated a high prevalence of SAD among medical students and showed a significant association between SAD and the phase of study, age group, and gender. These results could help justify the establishment of targeted mental health interventions to support medical students in managing their anxiety, which can ultimately result in an improvement in their academic performance and overall quality of life. University administrators and psychologists should aim to develop supportive programs for students.

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Bentham Science Publisher.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/nemj/10.2174/0102506882349926250123070359
2024-01-01
2025-09-28

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/nemj/10.2174/0102506882349926250123070359
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/nemj/5/1/NEMJ-5-E02506882349926.html?itemId=/content/journals/nemj/10.2174/0102506882349926250123070359&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. AlkhalifahA.K. AlsalamehN.S. AlhomaidhyM.A. Prevalence of social phobia among medical students in saudi arabia.Egypt. J. Hosp. Med.20176952412241610.12816/0041685
     [Google Scholar]
  2. RetaY. AyalewM. YeneabatT. BedasoA. Social anxiety disorder among undergraduate students of Hawassa University, college of medicine and health sciences, Ethiopia.Neuropsychiatr. Dis. Treat.20201657157710.2147/NDT.S23541632161462
     [Google Scholar]
  3. LiebowitzM.R. Social phobia.Mod. Trends Pharmacopsychiatry19872214117310.1159/0004140222885745
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Dos SantosR.G. de Lima OsórioF. Martin-SantosR. ZuardiA.W. HallakJ.E.C. CrippaJ.A.S. Modulation of the endocannabinoid and oxytocinergic systems as a potential treatment approach for social anxiety disorder.CNS Drugs201933101031103810.1007/s40263‑019‑00669‑531617149
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM-5.5th Ed.Arlington, VAAmerican Psychiatric Association201310.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
     [Google Scholar]
  6. RussellG. ShawS. A study to investigate the prevalence of social anxiety in a sample of higher education students in the United Kingdom.J. Ment. Health200918319820610.1080/09638230802522494
     [Google Scholar]
  7. ElhadadA.A. AlzaalaM.A. AlghamdiR.S. AsiriS.A. AlgarniA.A. ElthabetM.M. Social phobia among Saudi medical students.Midd. East Curr. Psychia.2017242687110.1097/01.XME.0000513066.80386.b6
     [Google Scholar]
  8. D’souzaM.J. JA.D. GM.M. Social anxiety disorder among medical students in a tertiary care hospital in Davangere, Karnataka.Int. J. Commun. Med. Public Health201964143410.18203/2394‑6040.ijcmph20191048
     [Google Scholar]
  9. GillJ. MohammadS. P01-139 - Social anxiety among medical undergraduate students in Malaysia.Eur. Psychiatry201025S125-E34410.1016/S0924‑9338(10)70344‑8
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Al-HinaiS.S. Al-SaidyO. DorvloA.S.S. Culture and prevalence of social phobia in a college population in oman.Hauppauge, NYNova Science Publishers2006115132
     [Google Scholar]
  11. BinelliC. OrtizA. MuñizA. Social anxiety and negative early life events in university students.Braz. J. Psychiat.201234Suppl 1S69S7410.1590/s1516‑4446201200050000622729450
     [Google Scholar]
  12. BaytemirK. YildizM.A. Multiple mediation of loneliness and negative emotions in the relationship between adolescents’ social anxiety and depressive symptoms.An. Psicol.201733361262010.6018/analesps.33.3.269211
     [Google Scholar]
  13. BlöteA.W. MiersA.C. WestenbergP.M. Adolescent social anxiety and substance use: the role of susceptibility to peer pressure.Child Dev. Res.201620161810.1155/2016/9468972
     [Google Scholar]
  14. RatnaniI. ValaA. PanchalB. TiwariD. KarambelkarS. SojitraM. NagoriN. Association of social anxiety disorder with depression and quality of life among medical undergraduate students.J. Family Med. Prim. Care20176224324810.4103/2249‑4863.21999229302525
     [Google Scholar]
  15. de MenezesG.B. CoutinhoE.S.F. FontenelleL.F. VigneP. FigueiraI. VersianiM. Second-generation antidepressants in social anxiety disorder: meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials.Psychopharmacology (Berl.)2011215111110.1007/s00213‑010‑2113‑321181129
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Al-HazmiB.H. SaburS.S. Al-HazmiR.H. Social anxiety disorder in medical students at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia.J. Family Med. Prim. Care2020984329433210.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_915_2033110854
     [Google Scholar]
  17. ShaoR. HeP. LingB. TanL. XuL. HouY. KongL. YangY. Prevalence of depression and anxiety and correlations between depression, anxiety, family functioning, social support and coping styles among Chinese medical students.BMC Psychol.2020813810.1186/s40359‑020‑00402‑832321593
     [Google Scholar]
  18. CrippaJ.A.S. Does social phobia remain the ‘Ugly Duckling’ of anxiety disorders?Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr.200931429729910.1590/S1516‑4446200900040000220098821
     [Google Scholar]
  19. BakerS.L. HeinrichsN. KimH.J. HofmannS.G. The Liebowitz social anxiety scale as a self-report instrument: A preliminary psychometric analysis.Behav. Res. Ther.200240670171510.1016/S0005‑7967(01)00060‑212051488
     [Google Scholar]
  20. WilsonI. Screening for social anxiety disorder in first year university students: A pilot study.Aust. Fam. Physician2005341198398416299639
     [Google Scholar]
  21. KjeldstadliK. TyssenR. FinsetA. HemE. GudeT. GronvoldN.T. EkebergO. VaglumP. Life satisfaction and resilience in medical school – a six-year longitudinal, nationwide and comparative study.BMC Med. Educ.2006614810.1186/1472‑6920‑6‑4816984638
     [Google Scholar]
  22. LaidlawA.H. Social anxiety in medical students: Implications for communication skills teaching.Med. Teach.200931764965410.1080/0142159080220886719811149
     [Google Scholar]
  23. RabochJ. Prevalence of social phobia among medical students.Eur. Psychiatry199611374s10.1016/0924‑9338(96)89203‑0
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Agha Mohammad HasaniP. MokhtareeM.R. AsadollahiZ. FereidoniM.J. The prevalence of social phobia among students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and its relation with personality traits in 2013.J. Occupat. Heal. Epidemiol.201652728210.18869/acadpub.johe.5.2.72
     [Google Scholar]
  25. HakamiR.M. MahfouzM.S. AdawiA.M. MahhaA.J. AthathiA.J. DaghreeriH.H. NajmiH.H. AreeshiN.A. Social anxiety disorder and its impact in undergraduate students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.Ment. Illn.201892727410.4081/mi.2017.727429383218
     [Google Scholar]
  26. ViernesN. ZaidanZ.A.J. DorvloA.S.S. KayanoM. YoishiuchiK. KumanoH. KubokiT. Al-AdawiS. Tendency toward deliberate food restriction, fear of fatness and somatic attribution in cross-cultural samples.Eat. Behav.20078340741710.1016/j.eatbeh.2006.12.00317606239
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Al-AlawiM. Al-SinawiH. Al-AdawiS. JeyaseelanL. MurthiS. Public perception of mental illness in Oman: a cross sectional study.Int. J. Cult. Ment. Heal.201710438939910.1080/17542863.2017.1325916
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/nemj/10.2174/0102506882349926250123070359
Loading
Prevalence and Demographic Correlates of Social Anxiety Disorder among Medical Students at Sultan Qaboos University: A Cross-sectional Study
NEW Emirates Medical J 5, e02506882349926 (2024); https://doi.org/10.2174/0102506882349926250123070359
/content/journals/nemj/10.2174/0102506882349926250123070359
/content/journals/nemj/10.2174/0102506882349926250123070359
Loading

Data & Media loading...


  • Article Type:     Research Article
Keyword(s): Anxiety; Correlates; Liebowitz social anxiety scale; Medical school; Prevalence; Social anxiety disorder

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test