INTRODUCTION:

Man is a social animal by nature and necessity. He lives in society for his very existence and welfare. There is hardly any aspect of human life in which man does not feel the need of society. He cannot live in isolation since he is compelled to live in society both biologically and psychologically. The relationship between the individual and the society is neither contractual nor organic; it is something much more than that. It is a social need for man to live in the company of his fellow human beings in order to develop his personality and individuality. Human nature is such that it cannot be developed without the help of other human beings.¹⁴ Humans are social creatures. We a have strong need to be liked, valued, and approved of others. As a result, we have generated sophisticated social structures and hierarchies that greatly determine an individual’s value. Unpleasant emotional states and non- adaptive behaviors associated with social situations have historically been known as significant, life- affecting problems for many people. Given the social nature of human beings, and the functional nature of social relationships, discomfort associated with interacting with others is particularly difficult, as socialization cannot be easily avoided.⁶

Adolescent is a period of “storm and stress”, an action-oriented phase of life in which feelings and thoughts are primarily expressed through behaviour.¹¹Adolescents respond intensely to people and events. They may be totally invested in one interest and then suddenly change to something different. These intense and unstable feelings can account for their extreme sensitivity to the response of others. They are easily hurt, disappointed and fearful of others.¹⁵ During this transition, it is common to experience a mixture of emotions, including anticipation, excitement, fear, anxiety, depression, stress and even feelings of loneliness and isolation.A major change from childhood to adolescence is the development of self-consciousness. Adolescents are aware of how others see them and react to them, and this awareness makes teenagers feel apprehensive and extremely self-conscious.¹¹Adolescents are at a high risk for the development of problem behaviors that are distressing and socially disruptive. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental, emotional and behavior problems that occur during childhood and adolescence.¹³

Anxiety is a normal phenomenon, which is characterized by a state of apprehension or uneasiness arising out of anticipation of danger. Normal anxiety becomes pathological when it causes significant subject distress and impairment of functioning of the individual.⁷Social anxiety is anxiety (emotional discomfort, fear, apprehension, or worry) about social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or scrutinized by other people. The difference between social anxiety and normal apprehension of social situations is that social anxiety involves an intense feeling of fear in social situations and especially situations that are unfamiliar or in which one will be watched or evaluated by others.¹

Jose PE, Wilkins H, Spendelow JS (2012), Social anxiety in adolescence is manifested by anxiety about and avoidance of social interactions.² Social anxiety in adolescents has frequently been linked to negative outcomes from social interactions.⁹ According to the “socio-meter theory”, social anxiety can arise well in advance of actual rejection if the “socio-meter” which is an early warning system detects potential relational devaluation.⁶Social anxiety is also related to impairments associated with the positive bio- behavioral system, including fewer positive life events, inhibited positive emotionality, and a poorer quality of life.⁶ Therefore, anxiety in different social situations cannot be overlooked as it can lead to serious complexities in future.

Blumenthal H et al (2011), adolescence is a key period in terms of the development of anxiety psychopathology.⁵Childhood and adolescence may be particular developmental periods in which transient social anxieties appear. Different forms of “social anxieties” exist along a continuum. The range of social anxieties/fears along this continuum is from no anxiety/fear to “normal” levels to psychopathological extremes. At the extreme, high levels of social fears and anxiety are psychopathological, and can be classified as clinical syndromes such as SAD (social anxiety disorder). Socially anxious people may be somewhat addressed by a conceptualization that acknowledges both “normal” social anxieties that are mildly to moderately intense, or transient and also their potential connectedness to social anxiety disorder, depending on potentially contributing environmental and individual factors.⁶A psychopathological (chronic and disabling) form of social anxiety is called social phobia or social anxiety disorder, and is a chronic problem that can result in a reduced quality of life.¹Social anxiety and Social anxiety disorder do not differ qualitatively but rather quantitatively.⁶

Social anxiety first occurs in infancy and is said to be a normal and necessary emotion for effective social functioning and developmental growth. Cognitive advances and increased pressures in late childhood and early adolescence result in repeated social anxiety. Adolescents have identified their most common anxieties as focused on relationships with peers to whom they are attracted, peer rejection, public speaking, blushing, self-consciousness, and past behavior. Negative experiences in life, and the way one handles and reacts to them, can also lead to the development of social anxiety. If one is consistently put in situations that make him or her feel inferior or fear the judgment of other people, he or she can begin to develop negative beliefs about himself or herself and the world that can cause social anxiety. If negative experiences continue, one may also begin to develop confirmation bias and tend to pay attention only to the actions and events that will reinforce negative beliefs.Avoiding more and more situations for fear of others' judgments will strengthen negative beliefs and prevent one from going into situations where he or she might actually enjoy himself or herself. As this pattern starts to interfere with overall functioning, the warning signs of social anxiety can become more apparent.¹ Social anxiety is studied in various guises like public speaking anxiety, speech anxiety, communication apprehension, fear of interpersonal rejection, dating anxiety, stage fright, fear of strangers, shame, embarrassment, social inhibition, social timidity- all of these and more fall under the umbrella of social anxiety. Social anxieties are expressed variably as shyness, fears of blushing in public, of eating meals in restaurants, of meeting men or women, of going to dances or parties or of shaking when the center of attention. Attention biases, sporadic memory biases, and interpretation biases seem to be responsible for the development and maintenance of social anxiety. Socially anxious individuals show a “vigilance-avoidance” pattern of information processing of threat-relevant information, which may contribute to the maintenance of the problem.⁶ An adolescent is highly influenced by the people in and around his own family, such as teachers and peer groups. He is influenced by the environment in which he is living. If it is positive, it leads to creative ideas, and if negative it may lead to destructive alternatives.⁸

Van Zalk N, Van Zalk MH, Kerr M. (2011), conducted a study on socialization of social anxiety in adolescent crowds. The study looked at whether social anxiety is socialized, or influenced by peers' social anxiety, more in some peer crowds than others. Adolescents in crowds with eye-catching appearances such as Goths and Punks (here termed Radical), were compared with three comparison groups. Using data from 796 adolescents (353 girls and 443 boys; M ( age ) = 13.36) at three time points, the results show that adolescents affiliating with the radical crowd tended to select peers from the same crowd group. Being a member of a crowd in itself did not predict socialization of social anxiety, but adolescents in the radical crowd were more influenced by their peers' social anxiety than adolescents who did not affiliate with the radical crowd group. The results suggest that through a bidirectional process, adolescents affiliating with radical crowds may narrow their peer relationship ties in time, and in turn socialize each other's social anxiety.⁴

Blumenthal Heidemarie, Leen-Feldner Ellen .W, Trainor Casey .D, et al (2009), commenced a study on interactive roles of pubertal timing and peer relations in predicting social anxiety symptoms among youth. The interaction between early maturation and problematic peer relations in relation to social anxiety symptoms was examined among 167 adolescents aged 10–17 years. Results indicated that early-maturing youth with problematic peer relations evidenced elevated social anxiety symptoms.¹²

Caster Jeffrey .B, Inderbitzen Heidi .M, Hope Debra (1999), conducted a study on relationship between youth and parent perceptions of family environment and social anxiety. This study concurrently examined the relationship between adolescents’ perceptions of their parents’ child-rearing styles and family environment and their reports of social anxiety. Adolescents reporting higher levels of social anxiety perceived their parents as being more socially isolating, overly concerned about others’ opinions, ashamed of their shyness and poor performance, and less socially active than did youth reporting lower levels of social anxiety. Parent perceptions of child-rearing styles and family environment, however, did not differ between parents of socially anxious and nonsocially anxious adolescents.¹⁶

Masia Carrie .L, Morris Tracy .L (1998), states that the quality of social relationships is a strong predictor of later adjustment. Thus, it is crucial to identify those environmental factors that lead to appropriate versus deficient childhood social relations. Parent-child interaction is one important context to examine due to the crucial role that the family environment plays in children's social development.¹⁷

Since social anxiety lies on continua of developing a social anxiety disorder at a severe degree, there is a dire necessity to assess the level of social anxiety among adolescents. A large part of the problem is that social anxiety is often not taken seriously, and that’s how a person with it typically shrinks into the background and is usually not heard. The vast majority of adolescents with social anxiety know there is something “wrong” with them, but they do not know what it is. Most adolescents progress through their fears and meet the developmental demands placed on them but for others it may develop into grave disturbances. As adolescence is the imperative phase of life where minute problems can lead to destructive consequences, a thorough interrogation is required to an enormous extent. In nursing a lot of emphasis is mainly laid on assessment, it therefore becomes the responsibility of the nurse to identify problems related to feared social situations in case of adolescents. The assessment of social anxiety is important as the psychopathological states and lifetime consequences can be prevented at an early phase. The present study is undertaken in order to explore the issue further and analyze the current situation of adolescents in relation to their anxiety regarding various social situations and interactions. Thus, the need of the study can be determined.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

An exploratory study to assess social anxiety among adolescents studying in higher secondary schools of Pune city.

OBJECTIVES:

1. To assess the level of social anxiety among adolescents.

2. To correlate social anxiety with the selected socio- demographic variables.

ASSUMPTION:

1. There will be social anxiety among adolescents.

2. The adolescents will give honest answers of the questionnaire, checklists and rating scale administered.

3. The variables of the study will influence the social anxiety among adolescents.

DELIMITATIONS:

1. The study was restricted to adolescents of age group (13-16 years).

2. It was limited to only two Marathi medium and two English medium higher secondary schools with state board affiliation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

An exploratory approach is usually undertaken when the researcher proposes to ascertain new ideas and chart innovative territories. The present study has an exploratory approach, as the researcher intends to assess the level of social anxiety among adolescents and discover the influence of selected socio-demographic variables on it.

Research design:

The research design selected for the present study was descriptive design. As the researcher attempts to assess the level of social anxiety and describe the correlation of it with selected socio-demographic variables, a descriptive research that is present oriented was found to be an appropriate research design.

Variables of the study:

1. Demographic variable- Age and gender

2. Socio- economic variables- Standard and medium of instruction at school, type of family, number of siblings, most enjoyable place, education and income of parents.

Research setting:

The study was conducted in selected English and Marathi medium higher secondary schools of Pune city.

Population:

The population for the present study was adolescents between the age group of 13-16 years studying in selected higher secondary schools of Pune city.

Sample:

The sample consisted of 210 adolescents including both boys and girls of the selected higher secondary schools of Pune city.

Sampling technique:

In the present study, stratified random sampling was used. The investigator preferred this sampling technique as it best serves the purpose of exploration by enhancing representativeness.

Development of tool:

A questionnaire to collect the demographic data, checklists to obtain the relevant information regarding the home and school environment and a rating scale to assess the level of social anxiety was developed with the help of review of literature, personal experience and discussion with experts from various fields.

Description of the tool:

SECTION I: Questionnaire to assess demographic and socio-economic information

A) Questionnaire to assess the demographic data

B) Questionnaire to assess the parental and economic profile

C) Checklist to assess the home environment

D) Checklist to assess the school environment

SECTION II: Rating scale to assess social anxiety (Social Anxiety Scale)

Tools are prepared in English and Marathi.

SECTION I: Questionnaire to assess demographic and socio-economic information

A) Questionnaire to assess the demographic data:

The questionnaire consists of items such as age, gender, standard, medium of instruction, type of family, number of siblings and most enjoyable place.

B) Questionnaire to assess the parental and economic profile:

The questionnaire consists of items such as education of father, education of mother and monthly income of the family.

C) Checklist to assess the home environment:

The checklist consists of 13 items related to the home environment with ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ as options. Every ‘Yes’ response is marked as ‘1’ and ‘No’ response is marked as ‘0’ respectively. The scoring key is as follows:

0-4	Poor
5-9	Average
10-13	Good

D) Checklist to assess the school environment

The checklist consists of 10 items related to the school environment with ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ as options. Every ‘Yes’ response is marked as ‘1’ and ‘No’ response is marked as ‘0’ respectively. The scoring key is as follows:

0-3	Poor
4-7	Average
8-10	Good

SECTION II: Rating scale to assess social anxiety (Social Anxiety Scale)

Under this section, 39 items related to social anxiety were included. These consists of statements scoring from :

0= Not at all

1= A little bit

2= Somewhat

3= Very much

4= Extremely.

Item numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 consists of statements to assess the behavioral symptoms.

Item numbers 29,30,31,32 consists of statements to assess the cognitive symptoms and item numbers 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 comprises of statements to assess the physical symptoms of social anxiety. Further to assess the level of social anxiety the score is grouped into categories such as none, mild, moderate and severe. The scoring key is as follows:

SCORE	0- 39	40-78	79-117	118-156
SEVERITY	NONE	MILD	MODERATE	SEVERE

Data collection procedure:

A formal permission was obtained from the respected authorities of the selected English and Marathi medium higher secondary schools Pune city. The final study was commenced from 15/11/2011 to 30/11/2011. The subjects were selected on basis of the inclusion criteria by using stratified random sampling. Each sample was given a clear explanation regarding the purpose of the study and a written consent was taken from their parents.Maintenance of confidentiality was assured to the subjects. The tool was administered to the subjects and information was obtained.

Plan for data analysis:

The data analysis plan includes descriptive and inferential statistics. Expert opinions were taken before proceeding with the plan for data analysis. Considering the objectives of the study, the section I and section II: Demographic and socio-economic information and Social anxiety scale was analyzed by using frequency and percentage presented in the form of tables and graphs. In order to co-relate social anxiety with selected socio-demographic variables Mann Whitney’s test and ANOVA were used.

RESULTS:

Section I:

Distribution of sample in relation to demographic and socio-economic information

Section I A:

Out of 210 samples (50%) adolescents belong to the age group of 13-14 years, (50 %) were males, (34.29 %) were from 8^thstandard, and (62.86 %) adolescents were from English medium. However (67.14%) adolescents were from nuclear family, (57.14%) had one sibling and (44.76%) adolescents considered school as the most enjoyable place.

Section I B:

Out of 210 samples, (28.57%) adolescents’ father’s education was higher secondary, (35.71%) adolescents’ mother’s education was higher secondary and (39.05%) had family monthly income as Rs > 13500.

Section I C:

Out of 210 samples, (58.10%) adolescents had an average home environment, (40.95%) had good home environment and (0.95%) had poor home environment.

Section I D:

Out of 210 samples, (84.76%) adolescents had an average school environment, (12.86%) had good school environment and (2.38%) adolescents had a poor school environment.

Section II:

Data analysis to assess the level of social anxiety Out of 210, (47.14%) adolescents had mild social anxiety, (41.90%) had no social anxiety, (10.95%) had moderate social anxiety and none had severe social anxiety. n = 210

Fig.1.1.Bar diagram showing social anxiety score wise distribution of adolescents in study group.

Fig.1.2. Comparison of social anxiety score among adolescents according to father’s education in study group

Father’s education	N	Social anxiety score	F Value	P Value
Father’s education		Mean ± SD	F Value	P Value
Illiterate	9	63.89 ± 25.15	3.76	<0.001
Primary	16	55.50 ± 19.93
Secondary	20	54 ± 24.96
Higher secondary	60	46.08 ± 23.94
Intermediate or diploma	39	35.41 ± 16.17
Graduate or PG	45	50.67 ± 21.50
Professional or Honours	21	43.62 ± 22.91

Fig.1.3. Comparison of social anxiety score among adolescents according to mother’s education in study group

Mother’s education	N	Social anxiety score	F Value	P Value
Mother’s education		Mean ± SD	F Value	P Value
Illiterate	12	65.67 ± 22.24	2.54	<0.05
Primary	10	47.90 ± 22.57
Secondary	24	53.21 ± 16.93
Higher secondary	75	42.75 ± 22.66
Intermediate or diploma	39	44.87 ± 22.97
Graduate or PG	44	49.25 ± 23.67
Professional or Honours	6	36.33 ± 19.94

Fig.1.4.Bar diagram showing comparison of social anxiety score among adolescents according to monthly income in study group.

Section III:

Correlation of social anxiety with the selected socio-demographic variables. There was a significant correlation between social anxiety and most enjoyable place (P < 0.05), as adolescents who stated that home was the most enjoyable place for them, had highest social anxiety score since they avoided going out and interacting with others. A highly significant correlation was derived between social anxiety and father’s education (P < 0.001), as adolescent whose father was an illiterate had highest social anxiety score.

There was a significant correlation between social anxiety and mother’s education (P < 0.05). The highest social anxiety score is in adolescents whose mothers were illiterate.

The adolescents whose parents had a low family monthly income also exhibited a significant correlation with the social anxiety (P < 0.01). the highest social anxiety score is in adolescents having family monthly income as Rs 676- 2024.

DISCUSSION:

Cakin Memik N, et al (2010), conducted a study to investigate the level of self-reported social anxiety in a community sample of Turkish adolescents and the relationship between social anxiety and some socio-demographic parameters. The study was a school-based cross-sectional study. Students in grades 6-8 (aged 10-16) from 12 schools in Kocaeli/Turkey were screened by the social anxiety scale for adolescents. A significant negative correlation was found between socioeconomic status and social anxiety level. Social anxiety scale for adolescents’ scores were higher in those with a low socioeconomic level.¹⁰The present study the findings revealed that 99 (47.14%) adolescents have mild social anxiety, 88 (41.90%) have no social anxiety, 23 (10.95%) have moderate social anxiety and none have severe social anxiety and a significant correlation was obtained between social anxiety and family monthly income as the adolescents who had a low socio-economic background exhibited social anxiety(P < 0.01).

Peng ZW, Lam LT, Jin J, (2011), studied the factors associated with social interaction anxiety among Chinese adolescents. Information collected in the survey included demographics, self-perception on school performance, relationship with teachers and peers, satisfaction with self-image, achievements, and parenting style of the mother. The parent-child relationship, specifically the relationship between respondents and their mothers, is assessed. Lower family income, lower self-esteem, and hostility are significantly associated with social interaction anxiety among adolescents.¹⁸ In the present study 122 (58.10%) adolescents have an average home environment, 86 (40.95%) have good home environment and 2 (0.95%) have poor home environment. Results also denoted that 178 (84.76%) adolescents have an average school environment, 27 (12.86%) have good school environment and 5 (2.38%) have a poor school environment. ³

This underlines the fact that most enjoyable place, parent’s education and family monthly income highly influence the social anxiety in adolescents.

CONCLUSION:

As per findings of the study, mild to moderate social anxiety was present among the adolescents. There was also a significant correlation between social anxiety and socio-demographic variables like most enjoyable place, parent’s education and family monthly income.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. A study can be done in order to find out the knowledge of adolescents regarding social anxiety.

2. A comparative study can be conducted in order to assess the factors affecting social anxiety among adolescents studying in rural and urban schools.

3. A study can be done to assess the effectiveness of self-instructional module regarding social anxiety among adolescents.

4. A descriptive study can be done to assess the knowledge and attitude of school teachers towards social anxiety among adolescents.

REFERENCES:

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Received on 23.12.2014 Modified on 24.01.2015

Asian J. Nur. Edu. and Research 5(2): April-June 2015; Page 262-269

DOI: 10.5958/2349-2996.2015.00052.X

Social anxiety score

Mean ± SD

Social anxiety score

Mean ± SD