Correlations of Social Anxiety and Socio-Cultural Factors

Oh, Kang Seob; Huh, Myo Yeon; Lee, Si Hyung

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We examined the degree of social anxiety and physical symptoms, situations, maneuvers in phobic situations, the degree of offending others, disability in normal Korean sample. And We also studied the correlations of social anxiety and socio-cultural factors(personality characteristics, child rearing attitudes and interpersonal attitudes).
METHODS
The subjects were total of 1087 including junior high school students, high school students, college students and adult population living in Seoul. We administered the following scales: SAD (Social Avoidance and Distress Scale), Social Anxiety Symptom and Situation, Maneuvers in Phobic situations, Offending others, SDS(Sheehan's Disability Scale), EPQ(Eysenck Personality Questionnaire), Child Rearing Scale and Interpersonal Attitude Scale.
RESULTS
Among social phobic symptoms, fear of eye to eye contact, fear of mistake, fear of facial expression, fear of side glancing and fear of other's gazing were prevalent in decreasing order. The level of general social anxiety were high in junior high school and high school students, and male subjects reported more social anxiety. The degree of offending others decreased with age. The most difficult social anxiety situations were public speaking and interviewing. The frequently used maneuver in phobic situations was reasoning. All subjects perceived themselves more introverted than others did. On the child rearing attitudes, rejection, high expectation, anxious, control subscales of both parent were correlated with high level of social anxiety, and the emotional care was correlated with low level of social anxiety. On the interpersonal attitudes, self-devaluation, indirectedness, overconcern of other's opinion, face-saving subscales were positively correlated with social anxiety, and the socialization and eungseok were negatively correlated with social anxiety.
CONCLUSION
The social anxiety and the introversion were associated with the disability of daily activity. Some subscales of child rearing attitudes and interpersonal attitudes were also associated with the social anxiety.