Prevalence of Social Phobia among Medical Students at Syrian Private University

AbstractIntroduction: Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also called social phobia, is an uncontrollable fear of social situations, which involve fear of observation or making contact with strangers. So, helping individuals with social anxiety, which is among the factors affecting mental health, can significantly influence a students’ mental health and prevent other problems. Methods: A cross- sectional study was conducted using a convenience sampling method among medicine college students at the Syrian Private University (SPU). Using the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale Test (LSAS) students were tested for possible social anxiety disorders and divided into four subcategories. Chi- square test was applied to assess the relationship between social phobia and socio- demographic variables. (p < 0.05) was adopted as statistical significance. Results: A total of 492 medicine college students participated in this study, 52% were males, and 48% were females. Most of the students were at their final years of study. 65% studied at private schools, and 62.6% at unmerged schools. 62.6% were non-smokers and 66.7% were from good economic background. The prevalence of possible social phobia was 49.6%, of them 28.5% moderate social phobia, 14.6% marked social phobia, 4.1% severe social phobia, and 2.4% very severe social phobia. Socio- demographic factors and previous mental trauma were significantly associated with social phobia. Conclusion: Social phobia is prevalent among the sampled population, and different associated factors were identified. Current results could raise the awareness of faculty members and healthcare providers towards early detection and management of these cases.