Social Anxiety and Its Correlates Among Lebanese Adults

Objective: To evaluate factors associated with social anxiety disorder among the Lebanese population, construct a new model associating these factors, and compare its uniformity with a theoretical framework.Methods: A total of 789 participants were enrolled in this cross-sectional survey study. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale was used to assess fear and avoidance. The study was conducted from November 2017 to March 2018.Results: Depression (β = 0.229, P = .013), emotional exhaustion/work fatigue (β = 0.275, P = .001), and experiencing a divorce (β = 15.413, P < .001) were significantly associated with higher social phobia. Higher self-esteem (β = -0.427, P = .048) and higher relationship management (β = -0.381, P = .001) were significantly associated with lower social phobia.Conclusions: This study provides crucial information about the psychological factors of social anxiety among the Lebanese population. Divorce, depression, and emotional exhaustion/work fatigue were associated with higher social anxiety. Low self-esteem and better relationship management were associated with lower social anxiety. Psychotherapy interventions may be beneficial to reduce depression and work fatigue and improve emotional intelligence and self-esteem.