Prevalence of Social Anxiety Disorder among Medical Students from Six Medical Schools in Khartoum State

Hazeem  Abeljaleel Suleiman; Sara  Ahmed Elamin; Abdalaziz  Awad Alobeid; Wegdan  Elshame Altaib

doi:10.52981/sjms.v16i2.1122

Hazeem Abeljaleel Suleiman Ain Shams University, Cairo
Sara Ahmed Elamin Omdurman Al-Ahlia University, Omdurman
Abdalaziz Awad Alobeid Al Neelain University, Khartoum
Wegdan Elshame Altaib AL Nailain University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52981/sjms.v16i2.1122

Keywords: social phobia, prevalence, medical students, Sudanese

Abstract

Background: Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) is a type of anxiety disorder
which is characterized by significant anxiety and discomfort about being embarrassed,
humiliated, rejected, or looked down on in social interactions. Although it affects
about 30% of adults worldwide at some point in their lives, lifetime social anxiety
disorder affects only about 4% of the world population. People with this disorder
experience extreme fear of social interactions (e.g., public speaking and meeting new
people). This anxiety affects daily functions and lasts at least six months. They may
also experience strong physical symptoms like rapid heart rate, nausea, vomiting, and
full-blown attacks. Social phobia can be treated by a combination of psychotherapy
and medical treatment (e.g., anti-anxiety, antidepressants, and beta-blockers).
Methods: This study was conducted using the Arabic SPIN and a group of questions
to assess the associated factors, complications, and sociodemographic determinate
of social anxiety disorder and included a total of 375 medical students from different
universities and educational years.
Results: The overall prevalence of social anxiety disorder among our participants
was 61.3%, of which 19.2% had mild, 21.6% moderate, 10.9% severe, and 9.6% had
very severe SAD. There was a significant difference regarding self-esteem, academic
achievement, and drug addiction between students with social phobia and students
with no social phobia.
Conclusion: Social phobia is quite prevalent among Sudanese medical students,
particularly the severe form of the disorder with no significant gender differences.
It seems to affect self-esteem and academic achievement and can be associated with
drug addiction.

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