A study to investigate the prevalence of social anxiety in a sample of higher education students in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Background: Social anxiety is a debilitating condition which ranks as the third most common mental health problem after depression and alcohol abuse. Whilst it is known that adults with social anxiety do less well than peers on measures of education and career attainment little is known about its prevalence or potential impact on students studying in higher education.Aims: This paper reports on a recently conducted prevalence survey of social anxiety in a sample of 1007 students studying at a large university and its partnership colleges. The study used the Liebowitz social anxiety scale; a comprehensive scale that measures both fear and avoidance of the types of situations which students may commonly experience.Method: An opportunistic sampling method was used to administer the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale to students across seven faculties.Results: The findings show that approximately 10% of students reported marked to severe social anxiety, a figure that is broadly in line with evidence from recent community epidemiological surveys of adults and young people.Conclusions: The study suggests that social anxiety is present in a relatively small, but significant proportion of students studying in higher education. The authors recommend that further research is required to explore the prevalence and impact of social anxiety on students studying in higher education. In addition, the paper calls for closer collaboration between mental health agencies and higher education institutions in order to raise student and staff awareness of social anxiety.