Social Phobia among University Students and its Relation to Self-Esteem and Body Image

Objective: To demonstrate the prevalence of social phobia and its relation to body image and self-esteem. Method: Study participants were 1003 students recruited from Cumhuriyet University as a randomized sample. Subjects were administered the Diagnostic Interview Schedule-III-Revised (DIS-III-R) Social Phobia Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Multidimensional Body–Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). We analyzed the data, using Fisher's exact chi-square test. Results: Lifetime prevalence of social phobia among university students was 9.6% and past-year prevalence was 7.9%. Self-esteem was lower (P < 0.05) among those with social phobia than among those without social phobia. Students with social phobia had lower scores on the MBSRQ than did those without social phobia (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The results show that persons with social phobia have lower self-esteem and more distorted body image than do those without social phobia.