The evaluation of social phobia experiences and coping strategies in a group of university students [Bir grup üniversite ögrencisinde sosyal fobi yaşama durumlarinin ve başa çikma stratejilerinin degerlendirilmesi]

Objective: Social phobia (also known as social anxiety disorder) is a medical condition characterized by extreme and consistent fear of meeting new people or embarrassing oneself in social situations. The aim of the present study is to investigate the prevalence of social phobia in a group of university students and to evaluate their coping strategies. Methods: A total of 184 university students were included in this study. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and the Coping Strategy Indicator were administered to students and the findings were statistically compared. The percentage, mean, A NOVA, correlation have been used for the evaluation and analysis of the data. Results: 49.5% of the participants are composed of first grade students and 50.5% of those are composed of fourth grade students. It was found that, most of the students use problem solving methods and seeking of social support attempts to cope with anxiety. But they use avoidance coping strategy to cope with a social phobic situation. There was a significant correlation between social phobia and age group. Younger students scored higher points from Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. A significant correlation is found between socioeconomic status and social phobia. Conclusion: Coping strategy to deal with social phobia decrease serious and disabling effect of social phobia in youth. Consequently we think that education about coping strategy for anxiety could be beneficial.