Social anxiety in higher education: reflections on its effects and prevalence in a brazilian population sample

The main symptom of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a persistent fear in situations involving social interactions. In the academic environment, the presence of this disorder may result in several problems for the individual because of the constant social interactions this environment requires.The present study aimed to identify the prevalence of social anxiety symptoms in a sample of Brazilian higher education students. The sample included 134 students of both genders, aged at least 18 years, from a Brazilianuniversity. Hence, a sociodemographic data record and the Social Anxiety Questionnaire for Adults (SAQ-A30 – Brazilian version) were used. The sample was composed by 73.1% (n=98) of women and 26.9% (n=36) ofmen; the mean age was 26.83 years (SD=9.32). The findings showed that 41.8% (n=56) of the sample presented SAD symptoms. Regarding the SAQ-A30 dimensions, the highest means were found in the 5th dimension (criticism and embarrassment), and the 1st dimension (speaking in public/talking with people in authority), followed by the 4th dimension (assertive expression of annoyance, disgust or displeasure), and 2nd dimension (interactions with the opposite sex). The 3rddimension(interactions with strangers) presented the lowest mean. The relation and implication of these findingson academic performance are discussed