The prevalence and correlates of social phobia among undergraduate medical student

Abstract

Introduction: Social phobia is the fear of social situations that involve interaction with others. It is highly prevalent among high school, College and university students. The impact of social phobia among students leads to decreased educational performance, dependence to take alcohol, avoidance of oral presentations, weak performance at clinical examinations, and development of depressive symptoms. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess social phobia and associated factors among undergraduate medical students to contribute towards their optimal care. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted a total of 600 medical undergraduate students. Data was collected using the Oslo 3-item social support scale and Social phobia inventory (SPI) scale. Results: A total of 600 participants were interviewed with a response rate of 100%. The results revealed that as high as 78% of the students reported some form of social phobia and about 31% of these students reported severe social phobia. Regression study show that female students have a higher chance of social phobia. Conclusions: Study concludes that being a female student leads to higher social phobia. The overall proportion of students who reported social phobia was much higher than averages from studies in other countries.