PREVALENCE OF SOCIAL ANXIETY IN STUDENTS OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION – UNIVERSITY OF GARMIAN

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:We are social beings and always in emotional need for social communication, but this connection is not easily possible for all. Such factors as lack of self-confidence, fear of rejection, criticism, etc. cause people feel anxious in social situations. The anxiety, in severe cases, becomes a disorder called social phobia or social anxiety disorder (American Psychiatry Association, 2013).This is one of the prevalent disorders which shows comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders. Social anxiety disorder imposes negative effects on different aspects of patient's life, including educational, social, family and interpersonal relationships dimensions (Taylor and et al., 2016). The disorder causes a persistent fear of social situations in which person may be embarrassed when exposed to unfamiliar people or under observation of others (Ghaedi and et al., 2010). Therefore, people with social phobia may avoid such situations or experience a lot of tension at work.Due to undesirable process and prognosis of the disorder, psychologists and psychiatrists have recently concentrated on this disorder (Morrison and et al., 2016). The epidemiological studies showed that the prevalence of social anxiety disorder in lifetime is 13.3 %. After major depression disorder and alcohol dependence, this disorder is the third most common disorder in the general population and it is also the most prevalent anxiety disorder (Menezes and et al., 2011).One of the most common symptoms of social phobia is fear of speaking in front of people. Studies show that 89.4% of people with social anxiety are afraid of speaking to others which is the most common fear factor in these people (Faravelli and et al., 2000). In college, this is normally more important since s/he is required to speak against others and to participate in social activities more than before. In fact, college years are the last years of adolescence, consequently, the other people's opinions are more important for them. That is why people with high self-expectations experience increased anxiety if their expectations are not met.In recent decades, many studies have addressed the prevalence and factors associated with students' social anxiety; e.g. Momeni and et al. (2015). Relatively high prevalence of social phobia has been reported in Iranian college students. Bani Mustafa and et al. (2014), in a study of Jordanian students, reported similar results. Bella and et al. (2009), in a similar study in Nigeria, investigated the prevalence of social phobia and factors associated with it. They reported Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of this disorder in students respectively as 9.4 and 8.5. Salina and et al. (2008) studied medical students in Malaysia. They found that most students experience significant social anxiety symptoms. The prevalence of social anxiety in this study was reportedly 2.11%.In another study in Sweden, Tillfors and et al. (2007) showed that there were mild to severe forms of the disorder among the students, and reported its prevalence as 16.1% in students compared to 15.6% in the general population. In a research carried out in Turkey, Izgic and et al. (2004) reported 9.6% for the lifetime prevalence of disorders, and 7.9% for the recent years among college students.Most of previous studies have shown that anxiety experienced during the college, can cause problems in later life (Tyssen and et al., 2001). Developing social anxiety and fear of talking among others can make a negative impact on academic performance in two ways: firstly, development of the disorder may cause avoidance in situations that require talking to others which is one on of the essentials of educational systems; and secondly, if a person is forced to talk in such situations, s/he will try to use avoidance behaviors (fast-talking and avoiding eye contact). This problem, in both cases, has a negative effect on performance in situations such as lectures and oral exam. …