The Prevalence And Risk Factors Of Social Anxiety Disorder In High Schools And Universities In Chengdu

Objective: To explore the prevalence, co-morbidity, risk factors and social function of social anxiety disorder in high schools and universities in Chengdu.Methods: 2279 students sampled by optimum distributing delaminating grouping method, representing the students in high schools and universities in the 10 areas and 10 towns in Chengdu, were interviewed one-to-one by the trained psychiatrists according to SCID. Both SAD patients (n=156) and the normal controls (n= 154) completed the co-morbidity survey, Egma Minnen av Bardndosnauppforstran (EMBU), State—Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI— Form Y), Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE) and Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ).Results: A) There were 179 SAD patients, 88 female ones and 91 male ones in 2279 high school and university students in Chengdu. The total prevalence was 8.15% and female prevalence was 8.35%, male prevalence was 7.62% through the weighed method. B) The co-morbidity was 30.87% for there were 46 SAD patients in the 146 interviewed patients had coexisting mental disorders. The first three co-morbidity disorders were mood disorder(73.91%), anxiety disorder (58.70%) and substance abuse (10.87%). C) The population growing up in country had significantly more SAD patients than those growing up in town and city (P =0.049). Families whose economic states were "fulfilling basic supply" and "having difficulties in basic supply" had significantly more SAD patients than that whose economic state was "having superfluity" (P =0.000). Rank sum test for the psychometrics between SAD patients and the NC revealed that the scores of factors such as emotional warmth was significantly lower and the scores of factors such as punishment, refuse and overprotection were significantly higher on the father scales, the scores of factor refuse was significantly higher on the mother scales of EMBU in SAD patients compared with that of NC. The factor score of anxiety and total score of STAI were significantly higher and the factor score of non-anxiety was significantly lower in SAD patients compared with that of NC. The total score of FNE was significantly higher in SAD patients compared with that of NC. The scores of immature defense mechanism such as projection, complaint, fantasy, withdraw, somatization and the scores of neurotic defense mechanism such as determent, avoidance, isolation, identity, were all significantly higher in SAD patients compared with that of NC. The scores of mature defense mechanism such as sublimation, suppression, humor and the scores of neurotic defense mechanism such as undoing, pseudo-altruism, denial, anticipation were significantly lower in SAD patients compared with that of NC. The SAD patients (11.21%) had significantly more positive family mental disorder history than the NC (1.30%) (P =0.001). D) The scores of SDSS were significantly higher in SAD patients compared with that of NC and were parallel to the severity ofdisease.Conclusion: A) The total prevalence f SAD in high schools and universities in Chengdu was 8.15 % and female prevalence was 8.35%, male prevalence was 7.62%. B) The co-morbidity of SAD with other mental disorder was 30.87%. The first three disorders were mood disorder (73.91%), anxiety disorder (58.70%) and substance abuse (10.87%) . C) The possible risk factors were growing up in the country, low family economic state, parental rearing Pattern deficient in emotional warmth, understanding, trust and encouragement but excessive in refuse, denial and overprotection, having anxiety trait, having fear of negative evaluation, more likely to use neurotic and immature defense mechanism while less likely to use mature defense mechanism, having positive family mental disorder history. D) SAD would do harm to the social function. The degree was parallel to the severity of disease and the co-morbidity would aggravate the social dysfunction.