Alnemr Lujain, Salama Abdelaziz H, Abdelrazek Salma, Alfakeer Hussein, Ali Alkhateeb Mohamed, Torun Perihan
Hamidiye International School of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Türkiye.
School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024 Jul 30;4(7):e0003184. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003184. eCollection 2024.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is prevalent among university students, yet data on its severity among foreign-born international undergraduate students in Türkiye remains limited. This study aims to determine the prevalence of SAD and its associated factors within this population. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a Google Form survey distributed across various universities from September 17, 2023, to February 1, 2024. The survey comprised two sections: sociodemographic information and 17 items of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), which measures the frequency and intensity of social anxiety symptoms. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and inferential analysis, multiple regression, and binomial logistic regression. Out of 506 participants, 455 were included in the study. Results revealed that 39.1% exhibited no or very mild symptoms of SAD, while 23.7% experienced mild symptoms, 21.3% faced moderate symptoms, and 11.6% and 4.2% presented with severe to very severe symptoms, respectively. Factors such as gender (p < 0.0001), previous academic failures (p = 0.013), family history of mental health issues (p = 0.009), exercise frequency (p < 0.0001), and perceptions of relationships with classmates (p < 0.0001) were significantly associated with SAD. Females showed a higher probability of SAD compared to males (OR = 1.976). Individuals engaging in over 90 minutes of exercise per week were less likely to have SAD (OR = 0.383), and occasional smokers had a lower risk of SAD compared to non-smokers (OR = 0.422). Our study uncovered a notably elevated prevalence of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) among foreign-born undergraduate students in Türkiye. Factors such as being female, having a family history of mental illnesses, studying in a stressful environment, experiencing academic failure, and engaging in less frequent exercise were associated with noticeable symptoms of SAD. These findings emphasize the urgent need for heightened efforts in recognizing and addressing SAD within this population.
社交焦虑障碍（SAD）在大学生中很普遍，但关于土耳其外国出生的国际本科生中该障碍严重程度的数据仍然有限。本研究旨在确定该人群中社交焦虑障碍的患病率及其相关因素。2023年9月17日至2024年2月1日期间，通过谷歌表单调查在各所大学开展了一项横断面研究。该调查包括两个部分：社会人口统计学信息以及社交恐惧量表（SPIN）的17个项目，该量表用于测量社交焦虑症状的频率和强度。数据分析包括描述性统计和推断性分析、多元回归和二项逻辑回归。在506名参与者中，455名被纳入研究。结果显示，39.1%的人未表现出或仅有非常轻微的社交焦虑障碍症状，而23.7%的人有轻度症状，21.3%的人有中度症状，11.6%和4.2%的人分别有重度至非常重度症状。性别（p<0.0001）、既往学业失败（p = 0.013）、心理健康问题家族史（p = 0.009）、锻炼频率（p<0.0001）以及对与同学关系的认知（p<0.0001）等因素与社交焦虑障碍显著相关。与男性相比，女性患社交焦虑障碍的可能性更高（OR = 1.976）。每周锻炼超过90分钟的人患社交焦虑障碍的可能性较小（OR = 0.383），与不吸烟者相比，偶尔吸烟者患社交焦虑障碍的风险较低（OR = 0.422）。我们的研究发现，土耳其外国出生的本科生中社交焦虑障碍的患病率显著升高。女性、有精神疾病家族史、在压力环境中学习、经历学业失败以及锻炼频率较低等因素与明显的社交焦虑障碍症状相关。这些发现强调了迫切需要加大力度识别和解决该人群中的社交焦虑障碍问题。
