Abstract
Taijin-Kyofu-sho (TK) is regarded as a culture-bound anxiety disorder in East Asian counties. Despite its earlier discovery in Japan, fewer studies have focused on TK than on social anxiety disorder (SAD) and even fewer on TK comorbidity with developmental disorders. Thus, we examined the association between TK and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among Japanese university students. A total of 673 students (500 male, 173 female) were assessed on the Japanese version of Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS-J), TK scale, and adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS; version 1.1). On the TK scale and LSAS-J, 17.4 and 10.3 percent of students, respectively, exceeded the cut-off value. Furthermore, ASRS scores more strongly correlated with TK scale than LSAS-J scores (TK scale: r = 0.427; LSAS-J: r = 0.330). To evaluate how TK or SAD with ADHD affects those scores, we divided subjects into four groups: healthy subjects, subjects with TK, those with SAD, and those with both disorders. The total ASRS score was significantly higher in TK-only subjects than in healthy subjects (p < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference between scores of healthy and SAD-only subjects (p = 0.281). Our results indicate a possible link between ADHD and later development of TK in Japan.
Highlights
Social anxiety disorder (SAD), called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by a marked fear or anxiety of social situations, including meeting people, talking in meetings or groups, starting conversations, eating while being observed, or being seen or speaking in public [1]
We found that 17.4% and 10.3% of university students exceed the cut-off value (COV) on the TK scale and the Japanese version of Liebowitz Social (LSAS-J), respectively
We showed that females exhibit significantly higher scores than males on both the LSAS-J and TK-scale
Summary
Social anxiety disorder (SAD), called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by a marked fear or anxiety of social situations, including meeting people, talking in meetings or groups, starting conversations, eating while being observed, or being seen or speaking in public [1]. A person with SAD is afraid that he or she will make mistakes, look bad, or be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. The onset of SAD occurs in childhood or adolescence by 11 years in about 50% and by 20 years in 80% of individuals [2]. SAD can negatively interfere with communication skills, general well-being, social life, and academic performance. Social phobia (phobies sociales), the name by which SAD was formerly referred, was first coined by
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
