Citation

Honnekeri BS, Goel A, Umate M, Shah N, De Sousa A. Asian J. Psychiatry 2017; 27: 115-120.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital, Sion West, Mumbai 400022, India. Electronic address: avinashdes888@gmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ajp.2017.02.021

PMID

28558881

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a globally prevalent, chronic, debilitating psychiatric disorder affecting youth. With comorbidities including major depression, substance abuse, lower educational and work attainment, and increased suicide risk, it has a significant public health burden. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of SAD in urban Indian undergraduate students and to study their Facebook (FB) usage patterns.

METHODS: In this exploratory cross-sectional study, 316 undergraduate students were screened for social anxiety using validated instruments, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and Social Phobia Scale (SPS), and divided into two groups based on scores obtained. The groups were then compared with regards to behaviors and attitudes toward Facebook, obtained from a self-report questionnaire.

RESULTS: SAD was estimated to be a significant, prevalent (7.8%) disorder in otherwise productive youth, and showed female preponderance. Higher specific social phobia scores were associated with the inability to reduce Facebook use, urges toward increasing use, spending more time thinking about Facebook, negative reactions to restricting use, and using it to forget one's problems.

CONCLUSIONS: SAD was estimated to have a prevalence of 7.8% in our study, and was associated with stronger FB usage attitudes and patterns. We recommend that the relationship between social anxiety and Internet use be explored further, to study the possibility of Internet-based screening and intervention strategies having wider reach and appeal in socially anxious individuals.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Facebook; Internet; Phobic disorders; Social Anxiety Disorder; Social media; Social phobia