Prevalence Of Social Anxiety Research Articles

The Relationship between Traumatic Experiences, the Prevalence of Social Anxiety and Insecure Attachment among University Students

University students face unique challenges and are considered a vulnerable population, making it crucial to understand the impact of trauma on their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the associations between traumatic experiences, the prevalence of social anxiety, and insecure attachment among MSU students. The present study adopted a quantitative research approach using the Trauma Screening Questionnaire (TSQ), the DSM-5 Severity Rating of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD-D), moreover, for the purpose of assessing PTSD, the Vulnerable Attachment Styles Questionnaire (VASQ), Social Anxiety Disorder Severity, and Insecure Attachment, respectively. A total of 406 respondents participated in the research. Through descriptive analysis, data were collected using three different assessments, revealing that 67% of the students were identified as having a high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while 6.9% experienced severe social anxiety, which was relatively low compared to the total number. Additionally, 87% of the students displayed a high level of insecure attachment. In order to test the research hypotheses, Pearson correlation analysis, linear regression analysis and path analysis were conducted in this study. The study's findings demonstrated that there was a significant correlation between traumatic experiences and insecure attachment and a non-significant correlation between traumatic experiences and social anxiety. Additionally, traumatic experiences had a significant positive effect on insecure attachment but did not significantly affect social anxiety. Lastly, traumatic experiences did not significantly affect insecure attachment through social anxiety or traumatic experiences through social anxiety.

Prevalence of social anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Prevalence of social anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Pre-coronavirus disease 2019 brain structure might be associated with social anxiety alterations during the pandemic.

Pre-coronavirus disease 2019 brain structure might be associated with social anxiety alterations during the pandemic.

Risk factors of social anxiety in patients with essential tremor.

To study the risk factors of social anxiety (SA) in essential tremor (ET) patients. Motor, cognition, and SA were evaluated using the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale (FTMTRS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) for each subject. The potential risk factors of SA in ET were analyzed using univariate analysis. A total of 80 ET patients and 85 healthy controls completed the evaluation. The LSAS evaluation showed that the prevalence of SA in the ET group was 48.8%, higher than that in controls (12.9%, P < 0.001). Female (OR = 4.959, P = 0.014), younger age (OR = 4.172, P = 0.037), and head tremor (OR = 4.707, P = 0.025) were risk factors of SA among ET patients. SA is prevalent in patients with ET. Risk factors, such as female sex, age, and head tremor, should be considered for the prevention and intervention of SA in ET patients.

The Prevalence of Social Anxiety in Children with Chronic Functional Constipation

Background: Functional constipation (FC) is a common disease in children. This disease can cause many behavioral and mental problems and ultimately reduce the quality of life. Reciprocally, psychological factors can play a role in the development and persistence of FC. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of social anxiety in children with chronic FC in Arak city, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 children between 10 - 17 years with chronic FC referred to Amirkabir Hospital in Arak, Iran, which is a specialized center, were enrolled. This study was done in 2022, and the participants' disease was diagnosed based on Rome ΙV criteria. The Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SASA) was completed by children under the guidance and supervision of their parents. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS 22 using the Chi-square test and independent sample T-test. Results: The participants’ mean age (SD) was 13.43 ± 1.54 years. The prevalence of social anxiety was estimated at 67.5% (95%CI: 60.6 - 73.4), of whom 70% had moderate anxiety, and 30% had severe anxiety. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of social anxiety between the age groups (P = 0.167). The prevalence of social anxiety was significantly higher in girls (74.8%) than in boys (59.8%) (P = 0.034). Also, girls showed a significantly higher prevalence of severe social anxiety than boys (P = 0.023). Conclusions: In this study, the prevalence of social anxiety was found to be considerably high in children with chronic FC. There was no significant difference between different age groups in terms of the prevalence of social anxiety; however, the prevalence and severity of this disease were significantly higher in girls than in boys.

Too Anxious to Talk: Social Anxiety, Academic Communication, and Students’ Experiences in Higher Education

Social anxiety is related to a host of negative student outcomes in the educational context, including physical symptoms of anxiety, reduced cognitive functioning, and poor academic performance. Despite the prevalence of social anxiety, little is known about mechanisms that may underlie associations between social anxiety and outcomes in the context of higher education. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate a conceptual model linking social anxiety, communication with peers and instructors, students’ experiences (i.e., engagement, connectedness, and satisfaction), and indices of socio-emotional functioning at university. Participants were 1,073 undergraduate students ( Mage = 20.3 years, SD = 3.49) who completed a series of self-report measures. Among the results, social anxiety was negatively related to communication with instructors, socio-emotional functioning, and student experiences, and academic communication accounted for significant variance in the links between social anxiety and student experiences. In addition, there was at least some evidence that student experiences partially mediated the association between social anxiety and socio-emotional functioning. Gender effects suggest that social anxiety is related to less communication with instructors, lower engagement and satisfaction, and poorer socio-emotional functioning among females compared with males. Results are situated within current literature examining social anxiety in education. The discussion provides concrete suggestions for educational practitioners to increase support for students who experience social anxiety.

Sex differences in seizure effects on social anxiety in persons with epilepsy

PurposeWe investigated sex differences in the effect of seizures on social anxiety in persons with epilepsy. MethodIn this cross-sectional multicenter study, social anxiety was measured using the short forms of the Social Phobia Scale (SPS-6) and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS-6). SPS-6 scores ≥ 9 and SIAS-6 scores ≥ 12 were considered to indicate social phobia and social interaction anxiety, respectively. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Stigma Scale-Revised, and Family Adaptation-Partnership-Growth-Affection-Resolve scale were also completed. A logistic regression analysis with an interaction term was used to analyze the data. ResultsOut of 285 participants, a SPS-6 score ≥ 9 and a SIAS-6 score ≥ 12 were noted in 62 (21.8%) and 36 (12.6%) of participants, respectively. There was no difference in the prevalence of social anxiety between men and women. Intractable seizures and lack of seizure freedom were associated with a SPS-6 score ≥ 9 and a SIAS-6 score ≥ 12, but statistical significance was lost in the adjusted models. However, intractable seizures and lack of seizure freedom significantly interacted with sex for a SPS-6 score ≥ 9 (p = 0.018) and a SIAS-6 score ≥ 12 (p = 0.048) in both the separate and adjusted models. Specifically, intractable seizures tended to be positively associated with SPS-6 scores ≥ 9 than non-intractable seizures in men only (odds ratio = 2.602, p = 0.068), whereas lack of seizure freedom tended to be negatively associated with SIAS-6 scores ≥ 12 than seizure freedom in women only (odds ratio = 4.804, p = 0.053). ConclusionWe found significant sex differences in seizure effects on social anxiety. Intractable seizures were associated with social phobia in men, whereas lack of seizure freedom in the last year was associated with social interaction anxiety in women.

Social Anxiety in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders Contribute to Impairments in Social Communication and Social Motivation

BackgroundRecognition of symptoms of Social anxiety (SA) may be difficult among individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) because of overlap between social anxiety and autistic symptomatology. The main aim of our study was thus to explore the association between symptoms of social anxiety and clinical characteristics of ASD in order to identify individuals experiencing concomitant ASD and social anxiety disorder. We also described the prevalence of SA in a sample of children and adolescents with ASD.Method79 children and adolescents with ASD (with and without intellectual disability) and 28-matched control participants were recruited in two French Expert Centers for ASD, coordinated by the Fundation FondaMental. Psychiatric comorbidities, anxiety disorders and depression were screened with standard tools (Liebowitz social anxiety scale, Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scale) and correlated to autistic features and social skills assessed with the social responsiveness scale 2 (SRS-2) and the repetitive behavior scale (RBS-R). We performed bivariate analysis between the social anxiety level and the scores measured with different clinical scales. We then adjusted the observed relationships with the alterations of SRS-2 and RBS-R scores.ResultsAfter adjustment, the level of social anxiety appeared as significantly associated with alterations in social reciprocity and particularly with the SRS-2 “social communication” and “social motivation” sub-scores, but not with RBS-R score.ConclusionsWe confirm previous reports showing that individuals with ASD are at high risk for specific anxiety disorders. In particular, high levels of impairments in social motivation and social communication (SRS-2) are indicative of comorbid disorders namely, social anxiety and ASD. Our findings clearly inform diagnostic assessment in ASD and stress the need to take comorbid anxiety disorders into consideration to improve treatment of ASD. To further clarify the impact of social anxiety on social competences and socio-adaptive handicap, longitudinal studies and cluster analysis will be needed in the future.

Social Anxiety: Prevalence and Gender Correlates among Young Adult Urban College Students

Social anxiety is a debilitating disorder often affecting everyday functioning of young adults. This developmental period has challenges in the domains of academics, career, and relationships. Thus, experience of social anxiety, even if subclinical, can be doubly challenging. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of social anxiety among young adults of urban college students in Bangalore, India. Participants of the study were a group of 472 college students comprising 250 males and 222 females. They were screened for social anxiety using Social Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ) developed by Caballo et al. (2015) which measures five domains. It was found that 28.60% experience social anxiety which seems significant enough to demand attention. The percentage of males and females that experienced social anxiety was 27.2% and 30.18% respectively, establishing that there is no significant relationship between social anxiety and gender. Gender did not seem to correlate with any of the domains of social anxiety.

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

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. …

Social anxiety in adult males with autism spectrum disorders

BackgroundPsychiatric conditions, notably anxiety, commonly co-occur with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). MethodThis study investigated self-reported behavioural, cognitive and affective symptoms of social anxiety (SA) in 50 adult males with ASD. Associations between SA, core ASD symptoms and facets of neuropsychological functioning were also examined. ResultsTwenty-six participants (52%) endorsed levels of SA that exceeded the suggested caseness threshold for social anxiety disorder. Categorical and dimensional data analyses indicated that there were no relationships between SA symptoms, present-state or childhood ASD symptom-severity, or measures of socio-emotional processing in this sample. ConclusionsStudy findings suggest that severity of SA is not merely a reflection of ASD symptom-severity. Further research is needed to ascertain the prevalence of SA in adult ASD epidemiological samples, and identify causal and maintaining mechanisms for these co-morbid symptoms.

Unsociability With In the Same Sex

Socializing in today’s world is considered as one of the most important things. With the growing concept of social media and many other such aspects, socialization has now gained an even more predominant status. This phenomenon is of most importance among the younger generation, especially the adolescents. This study focuses on the concept of social phobia, also commonly known as social anxiety, among adolescents. This study tries to explore the prevalence of social phobia amongst the adolescent girls belonging to different types of institutions which include a co-ed college and a girls college. The samples for the study were in the age range of 15-17 years, 30 samples from each college. They belonged to eleventh grade. The other variable which was different was that the samples who belonged from the co-ed college belonged to the arts stream, and the samples from the girls college were from the science stream. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (1987;Micheal Liebowitz) was administered on the students to measure the social anxiety, and they were given five open-ended questions which asked them, what would they do in certain social situations and what measures they would take to resolve them if they have any problem in the situations mentioned. The results showed an interesting aspect in respect to the prevalence of social anxiety among adolescent samples belonging to the different set ups of college. There was a difference of 13.34% in the prevalence of the social anxiety levels among the students. The samples from the co-ed college fell in the category of the 13.34%, wherein they showed levels of social anxiety as compared to the social anxiety levels of the samples in the girls’ college. It was also interesting to notice the differences and similarities in the responses the students from the two types of institutions provided. The study focuses on understanding whether the levels of social phobia or anxiety differ among the same gender of females in differing contexts, such as the nature of the institution or the type of stream they choose to study.

Body-Esteem Mediates The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety: The Moderating Roles of Weight and Gender

ABSTRACTThe prevalence of social anxiety during adolescence is high, and it is necessary that we increase our knowledge on the related factors that contribute to social anxiety. The present study sought to examine the relationships among self-esteem, body-esteem, and social anxiety among adolescent students, as well as to examine the mediating role of body-esteem between self-esteem and social anxiety, and to examine the moderating roles of weight and gender between body-esteem and self-esteem with social anxiety. The participants comprised 520 high-school students from eight high schools in Tehran city in District 11 of the Ministry of Education in 2012/13. Structural equation modelling showed that adolescents with poor self-esteem and poor body-esteem were more likely to show social anxiety. Body-esteem partially mediated between self-esteem and social anxiety. Weight and gender moderated between body-esteem and self-esteem with social anxiety. Our results highlight the roles of body-esteem and self-esteem as promising avenues for reducing social anxiety among adolescent students.

Sedentary behaviour and social anxiety in obese individuals: the mediating role of body esteem

Given that the prevalence of social anxiety in obese individuals is high, it is necessary that we increase our knowledge about the related factors that cause social anxiety in obese individuals. The present study sought to examine the role of body esteem as a mediator between sedentary behaviour and social anxiety. The participants were 207 overweight and obese individuals who completed the self-report measures. The structural equation modelling displayed that obese individuals with sedentary behaviour and poor body esteem were more likely to show social anxiety. Body esteem partially mediated between sedentary behaviour and social anxiety. Our results highlight the role of sedentary behaviour and body esteem as promising avenues for reducing social anxiety in obese individuals.

Assessment of Social Anxiety in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Despite the high prevalence of social anxiety in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is little agreement on how to best assess such problems in this population. To inform evidence-based assessment, we conducted a comprehensive review of research that has assessed social anxiety in children and adolescents with ASD without co-occurring intellectual disability. Although some evidence in support of the reliability of existing measures exists, there are concerns about inflated estimates of the co-occurrence of social anxiety because of symptom overlap with ASD diagnostic criteria, and the diagnostic sensitivity of existing measures is questionable. Recommendations for clinical assessment of social anxiety in this population and future directions for research on this topic, including the development of new measures, are provided.

P01-143 Social anxiety and personality traits

The prevalence of social anxiety is estimated of 7-12% of the general population and 18% of university student. Social anxiety has a high prevalence of psychiatry and personality comorbidity. At age of 18-25 years old 80% of social anxiety cases have onset. To detect social anxiety at that age maybe important to avoid chronicity of the illness.Aims:To study personality traits associated with social anxiety in university students.Methods:We designed a cross-sectional study at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Student were recruited by an advertisement. All student signed the informed consent. We collected: Socio-demographic data, personal and family psychiatry history, and the Liebowitz Anxiety Scale (LSAS) and the Temperament and Character Inventory of Cloninger. We defined as a social anxiety group a LSAS ≥50 total score.Results:Five hundred ninety-one students enter in the study. Final sample after excluded those who did not filled the rating scales was 574 participants: 75% were women, mean age (SD): 22.7 (5.3), 156 (124 women/32 men), 26% had social anxiety. Eighteen percent had family and 22% personal psychiatry history. The personality profile of the social anxiety group was: high harm avoidance (HA) (p&lt; .001), low novelty seeking (NS) (p&lt; .001), and low self-directedness (SD) (p&lt; .001).By logistic regression, after corrected by sex, age, personal and family psychiatry history, HA (OR=1.118; 95%CI=1.081-1.155), NS (OR=0.954;95%CI=0.927-0.982) and SD (OR=0.957;95%CI=0.930-0.985) predicted social anxiety. R2Nagelkerke=0.442. Hosmer-Lemeshow test (p&gt;.05).Conclusions:A profile of high HA, low NS and SD personality dimensions may predict those university students with social anxiety.

Prevalencia de la conducta agresiva, conducta prosocial y ansiedad social en una muestra de adolescentes españoles: un estudio comparativo

ResumenEste estudio analizó la prevalencia de la ansiedad social, conducta prosocial y conducta agresiva en una muestra de 2.022 estudiantes de educación secundaria de 12 a 16 años. Los adolescentes fueron seleccionados aleatoriamente de 20 escuelas urbanas y rurales en las provincias de Alicante y Murcia, España. La ansiedad social fue medida con el Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory, mientras que la conducta prosocial y agresiva fueron medidas con el Teenage Inventory of Social Skills. Los resultados revelaron que el porcentaje de estudiantes prosociales (17,35%) y agresivos (16,12%) fue significativamente más alto que el porcentaje de estudiantes con ansiedad social (12,06%). Además, el porcentaje de chicos agresivos (22,16%) fue significativamente mayor que el de chicos prosociales (5,61%) y socialmente ansiosos (8,80%). Por el contrario, el porcentaje de chicas prosociales (29,62%) fue significativamente superior al porcentaje de chicas agresivas (5,96%) y con ansiedad social (15,47%). Finalmente, con el paso de los años, se produce un cambio de tendencia en la frecuencia de los estilos interpersonales, siendo la agresividad más prevalente en 2° de E.S.O. y la prosociabilidad más frecuente en 3° y 4° de E.S.O.

Dyslipidemia and high waist-hip ratio in women with self-reported social anxiety

Previous research has indicated that phobic anxiety is associated with coronary heart disease. In this study, the possible association between social anxiety and various anthropometric, metabolic, and endocrine measurements known to be associated with cardiovascular disease were studied in a population-based cohort of 216 women 41–42 years old. Each participant was assessed by means of a DSM-IV based self-report questionnaire regarding social anxiety and related psychiatric diagnoses. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), and serum levels of lipids and hormones were assessed. The prevalence of social anxiety was 14% ( n=31). The social anxiety group displayed higher serum levels of triglycerides (1.3±0.9 vs. 1.0±0.5, P=0.003) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (3.3±0.8 vs. 3.0±0.7, P=0.03), but lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (1.4±0.3 vs. 1.6±0.4, P=0.04) and HDL/LDL ratio (0.46±0.15 vs. 0.57±0.22, P=0.008) than the other women. Serum levels of total testosterone (1.6±0.8 vs. 2.2±1.1, P=0.013) and free thyroxin (14±2 vs. 16±4, P=0.04) were lower in subjects confirming social anxiety. While WHR was significantly higher in the social anxiety group (0.83±0.06 vs. 0.80±0.07, P=0.016), BMI did not differ between the groups. Our data suggest that self-reported social anxiety is associated with two established risk factors for cardiovascular disease: dyslipidemia and increased WHR.

Social phobia as a comorbid condition in sex offenders with paraphilia or impulse control disorder.

Studies on the prevalence of social anxiety in sex offenders show mixed results. This may be due to social anxiety being heightened only in diagnostic subgroups of sex offenders, namely in paraphiliacs. In study 1, 72 mentally disordered sexual delinquents and 30 controls were screened for social anxiety with the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale by Mattick and Clarke (German versions). In study 2, 55 mentally disordered sexual delinquents were diagnosed with a structured clinical interview. In both studies, sex offenders were categorized as either paraphilic or impulse control disordered (without paraphilia) according to research criteria. Study 1 showed markedly heightened scores for social anxiety in paraphiliacs, particularly for social interaction anxiety. Study 2 found a high lifetime and point prevalence of social phobia in paraphiliacs for which corroborating evidence was again found in questionnaire results. Implications for further research, diagnostic procedures, and therapy are discussed.

Review of The shyness and social anxiety workbook.

MARTIN M. ANTONY and RICHARD P. SWINSON The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications Inc., 245 pages (ISBN 1-57224-216-7, C$24.95, Softcover) Reviewed by LYNN E. ALDEN Nearly every person experiences social anxiety in some situations, and for 3 to 4% of us, social anxiety causes significant impairment and reduces the quality of life by inhibiting friendship development and career advancement (e.g., Safren, Heimberg, Brown, & Holle, 1997; Schneier et al., 1994). Despite the prevalence of social anxiety, there continue to be relatively few settings that offer specialized treatment for this condition, particularly for individuals who live outside of major metropolitan areas. Therefore, books that provide information and guidance for people with social anxiety are a much-needed resource. Unfortunately, relatively few self-help books completely meet the needs of these individuals - some books are overly academic, others overwhelm readers with details. When asked to recommend readings to individuals who suffer from social phobia or who have socially anxious children or friends, I often find myself hesitating as to where to direct people. Therefore, it was a pleasure to read this workbook by Drs. Antony and Swinson. Designed to address the concerns of people whose lives are impaired by social anxiety, the volume provides a clear, comprehensive, and sophisticated self-- help guide. The volume is divided into two sections. Part 1 consists of three chapters that present information to increase readers' understanding of social anxiety. The first chapter defines anxiety and the related constructs of worry, fear, and panic, and then goes on to discuss social anxiety in detail. In addition to discussing how social anxiety can inhibit relationships and career prospects, it also describes social phobia and avoidant personality disorder as clinical conditions and helps readers begin to refine their understanding of how social anxiety affects their lives. Chapter 2 outlines the role of biological and learning processes in the onset of social anxiety. This chapter is particularly notable for presenting genetic and biochemical processes in a reader-friendly manner. Chapter 3 uses a series of worksheets to guide readers through a self-assessment process to identify feared situations, factors that moderate symptom intensity, and their own characteristic cognitive and behavioural responses to anxiety-provoking events. This chapter does a particularly nice job presenting the beliefs, predictions, and negative expectations that often contribute to social fears. Part II focuses on strategies to overcome social anxiety The section begins with a description of the two major approaches to treatment, medication, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, and provides a balanced discussion of the advantages and limitations of each method. Chapter 5 presents a clear, concise layman's guide to medication that will enhance readers' knowledge of the various pharmaceutical options and increase their ability to talk with their physicians about pharmacotherapy. In the remaining five chapters, the authors focus on cognitive and behavioural strategies for overcoming social fears. Chapter 6 provides examples of common negative beliefs and predictions related to social anxiety, and discusses how to correct inaccurate and catastrophic cognitions. Chapters 7 and 8 explain the concept of behavioural exposure and provide a step-by-step guide to conducting exposure exercises. Chapter 9 introduces the idea of interoceptive exposure and discusses how exposure to uncomfortable physical sensations can help reduce social panic attacks and other problems related to physiological symptoms. …