Short stature, growth hormone deficiency, and social anxiety

We have reported high rates of social phobia in growth hormone-deficient (GHD) adults who had been treated with growth hormone during childhood. This follow-up study was conducted to determine whether the increased social phobia observed in GHD subjects was secondary to the effects of short stature. Twenty-one age- and sex-matched non-GHD short adults were evaluated for social anxiety and compared with the previously studied 21 GHD subjects. Thirty-eight percent (8 of 21) of GHD and 10% (2 of 21) of short subjects met DSM-III-R criteria for social phobia. GHD subjected scored significantly higher than short subjects on the following self-report questionnaires: Fear of Negative Evaluation (p = .03), Fear Questionnaire (p = .01), Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (p = .01), Beck Depression Inventory (p = .007), and the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire-harm avoidance subscale (p = .0004). These data suggest that the high prevalence of social phobia in GHD adults is not explained by short stature alone.