Magnitude of Social Anxiety Disorder, and Impact on Quality of Life among Medical Students, Taif City-Ksa

Abstract

Background: Social anxiety disorder is a prevalent condition in KSA, especially among people who are in their adolescent years and in the early twenties. It has significant impact on education and employment. Aim: To estimate the magnitude of Social anxiety disorder (SAD), identify associated factors and assess its effect on the quality of life among the participants. Subjects and methods: it was a cross sectional study conducted in April and May (2015). It included all medical students in the clinical years at Taif University-KSA. A a validated self-administered questionnaire used as data collection tools. Results: The study included 283 students out of 338 invited to participate (RR=83.7%). Their age mean was 23.5 years and standard deviation of 1 year. Males represented 65% of them. Based on DSM-V criteria, SAD was diagnosed in 29.3% of the medical students in the clinical years, Taif University. None of the studied demographic variables was significantly associated with SAD. Students who reported often parental criticism, often parental criticism in front of others and occasional, usual parental provocation or often parental maltreatment, reported higher rate of SAD compared with others, p<0.05. Quality of life based on social adaptation of self-evaluation score ranged between 0 and 60 with a mean of 37.1 and standard deviation of 11.2. Conclusion: The prevalence of SAD constitutes about one third of the medical students in the clinical years, Taif University but it has significant effect on the QoL. Attention with proper education and periodic assessment is highly recommended for university students.