Prevalence of Social Phobia and Depression among Adolescent girls in selected schools in rural areas of Panipat, Haryana

 

Ruchika¹ Sathish Rajamani²

¹M.Sc (N) Student, Ved Nursing College, Panipat, Haryana, India.

 

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives: The term social phobia was first coined by Janet (1903) to describe the patient who feared being observed while speaking, playing, or writing, symptoms of shyness, social anxiety and social avoidance had been describe as early as the time of Hippocrates (1969). Aim: Against this background the following study aim of to determine the Prevalence of Social Phobia and Depression among Adolescent Girls. Materials and methods: This study is a Non - Experimental study. Sample size of was 120 adolescent girls. Sample was selected by using Non- Probability Convenience technique. Social phobia inventory (SPIN) and Beck depression inventory II (BDI II) on social phobia and depression among adolescent girls. Data analysis was done with the help by the mean of descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The study finding reveals that majority of the subjects 77(64.2%) had very mild / no social phobia. Majority of the subjects in this study had moderate depression 54(45%). The chi – square value of social phobia and previous history of psychiatric illness was 6.386. The ‘P’ value is 0.041. which shows a statistically significant association. The correlation coefficient value between social phobia and depression was 0.264 which shows a mild positive correlation. Conclusion: The study concluded adolescent girls had depression more when compare with social phobia.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders of childhood and adolescence. Different kinds of anxiety affect young people at different times in development. Nearly one in three adolescents (31.9%) will meet criteria for an anxiety disorder by the age of 18. Adolescent girls are more than twice as likely to experience depression than boys, 15.9% vs 7.7%..¹ Elevated social anxiety can be differentiated from the diagnosis of social phobia/social anxiety disorder, which is characterized by a clinically-significant impairment in functioning importantly, sub-clinical social phobia, or elevated social anxiety, also can be extremely distressing may lead to the development of clinical social phobia and has been linked to many of the comorbid problems associated with a formal diagnosis such as substance use and depression.²

 

Social phobia and depression are common and highly comorbid disorders in adolescence. The points prevalence estimates of social phobia in adolescence range from 1.6% to 6%, and lifetime prevalence estimates from 7% to 14%. Prevalence estimates of depression in adolescence range from 3% to 10%.³ Comorbidity between social phobia and depression is common and these two disorders have been a focus for quite many comorbidity studies. Based on several studies on the comorbidity of social phobia and depression, it has been hypothesized that social phobia may cause psychological and functional deterioration leading to depression or there may be shared risk factors for both disorders leading to different phenotypes, which may vary over time.

 

The risk of developing a major depressive disorder can be increased by social phobia.⁴ The early diagnosis can reduce symptoms of this disease and decrease its adverse events as well as prevent its complications. The prevalence of social phobia varies between different countries and cultures. Social phobia prevalence in western countries accounts for 7-13% other percent were reported in other countries, it was reported to be relevant at a rate of 10% in India and 11.7% in Saudi Arabia.⁵ According to the report of the National Institute of Mental Health (2009) the onset age when socio phobic symptoms begins to occur, is mainly in early adolescence. Negative experiences in childhood increase the risk of the development of SAD. In India, there has been only one study on social phobia (among high school adolescents) which mentions a prevalence of 12.8% and also an association with impairment in academic functioning (Shah and Kataria 2009).⁶ Social phobia even though being a common psychiatric disorder, is under recognized and under treated. It is more common in youth, is associated with lower educational achievements, unstable employment, higher frequency of being absent to work, individuals are less likely to marry, more likely to get divorced, and have reduced productivity that can lead to dependence from family, state, society, and country.

 

As there are very few literatures about the prevalence of social phobia and depression among Indian adolescents. The Researcher felt the need for creating a good data base on the prevalence of social phobia and depression in adolescent girls. This study will help to generate new source of knowledge in psychiatric research.

 

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

A Study to Determine the Prevalence of Social Phobia and Depression among Adolescent Girls in Selected Schools in Rural areas of Panipat, Haryana

 

OBJECTIVES:

1.     To Determine the Prevalence of Social Phobia and Depression Among Adolescent Girls.

2.     To Determine the Association between Social Phobia and Selected Socio Demographic variables of Adolescent Girls.

3.     To Determine the Association between Depression and Selected Socio Demographic variables of Adolescent Girls.

4.     To Determine the Correlation Between Social Phobia and Depression Among Adolescent Girls.

 

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS:

·       Prevalence:

It is the proportion of a school going adolescent girls who have Social Phobia and Depression at time of data collection.

 

·       Social Phobia:

It is defined as a condition in which school going adolescent girl’s exhibit persistent fear of situations involving social interactions or social performance or situations where there is potential scrutiny by other as measured by Social Phobia Inventory. (SPIN).

 

·       Depression:

It is defined as a common mental disorder in school going adolescent girls that Present with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, some feeling of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy and poor concentration as measured by Beck Depression Inventory. (BDI II)

 

·       Adolescent Girls:

It refers to girls’ students in age group between 10 to 19 years. Who was be studying in the class 10th, 11th, 12th Selected Schools in the Rural Areas of Panipat.

 

Conceptual framework:

In this study, researcher adopted King’s Goal Attainment Theory and Peplau’s theory of Interpersonal theory.

 

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework Based on King’s Goal Attainment Theory and Peplau’s theory of Interpersonal theory.

 

METHODOLOGY:

This study seeks to understand the prevalence of social phobia among young adolescent girls in selected schools in rural areas of Panipat.

 

Research Approach: Quantitative Survey Research Approach.

 

Research Design: Non-Experimental Correlational Research Design.

 

Research Population/Sample: The survey population of study is adolescent girls from selected senior secondary school in Babarpur Mandi, Panipat. Total of 120 adolescent girls were selected using non-probability, convenience sampling technique.

 

Research Instrument: For collecting data regarding prevalence of social phobia and anxiety, researcher used the following tools.

·       SPIN - Social Phobia Inventory (Davidson, 2000):

This tool consists of 17-items developed by Davidson. This tool assesses a wide range of avoidance behaviours (e.g., avoidance of talking to strangers), physical symptoms (e.g., distress as evidenced by sweating) and social fears (e.g., fear of people in authority positions). The scale has good ability to distinguish adults with and without social phobia.

 

·       BDI – II Beck Depression Inventory – II:

Is a brief, self-report inventory designed to measure the severity of depression symptomatology. This tool has 21-item and it is a self-report multiple-choice inventory.

Data Collection Procedure:

The researcher obtained permission from the school authorities before collecting data. Survey on social phobia and depression were taken from the samples through self-reporting method.

 

Data Analysis Procedure:

Quantitative data was generated for this study through the administration of questionnaires. The scores obtained by the respondents were compiled into contingency tables according to the main variables under examination. The data obtained was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods with the data subjected to appropriate statistical analyses and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The collected data was analyzed with the aid of SPSS 22 (The Statistical Package for Social Science);

 

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

Table 1: Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Subjects According to Selected Socio-Demographic Variables    (N = 120)

 

S. No	Demographic Variables	Frequency	%
1	Age (Years)
	a. 10 – 13	3	2.5
	b. 14 – 16	55	45.8
	c. 17 – 19	62	51.7
2	Education
	a. 10th standard	56	46.7
	b. 11th standard	35	29.2
	c. 12th standard	29	24.1
3	Religion
	a. Hindu	109	90.8
	b. Sikh	6	5
	c. Muslim	5	4.2
	d. Christian	0	0
4	Father’s education
	a. No formal education	17	14.2
	b. Primary	75	62.5
	c. Secondary	18	15
	d. Senior secondary	10	8.3
	e. Graduate / Post graduate	0	0
5	Mother’s education
	a. No formal education	25	20.8
	b. Primary	71	59.2
	c. Secondary	16	13.3
	d. Senior secondary	8	6.7
	e. Graduate / Post graduate	0	0
6	Father’s occupation status
	a. Unemployed	20	16.7
	b. Private	47	39.2
	c. Government	24	20
	d. Self – employed	29	24.1
7	Mother’s Occupation Status
	a. Unemployed	34	28.3
	b. Private	27	22.5
	c. Government	14	11.7
	d. Self – employed	45	37.5
8	Family Monthly Income
	a. < Rs 1865	0	0
	b. Rs 1865 – 5546	0	0
	c. Rs 5547 – 9248	28	23.3
	d. Rs 9249 – 13873	36	30
	e. Rs 13874 – 18497	36	30
	f.  Rs 18498 – 36996	20	16.7
	g. > Rs 36997	0	0
9	Previous History of Psychiatric Illness
	a. Present	2	1.7
	b. Absent	118	98.3

 

Table 2: Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Samples According to Social Phobia          (N = 120)

S. No.	Level of Social Phobia	Frequency	%
1	Very Mild / None	77	64.2
2	Mild Social Phobia	35	29.2
3	Moderate Social Phobia	8	6.6
4	Severe Social Phobia	0	0
5	Very Severe Social Phobia	0	0

The above table shows the Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Subjects According to Social Phobia.

 

Majority of the subjects 77 (64.2%) had very mild/no social phobia. Subjects with mild social phobia were 35 (29.2%). Very few subjects 8 (6.6%) had moderate social phobia. None of the subjects in the study were having severe and very severe social phobia.

 

Figure 2: Bar Diagram Showing Percentage Distribution of Subjects According to Depression

 

The above diagram depicts the percentage distribution of subjects according to depression.

 

Majority of the subjects in the current study were having moderate depression 54 (45%). Those who were with mild depression were 31 (25.8%). Subjects in the study with severe depression were 21 (17.5%). Those were with minimal depression were 14 (11.7%).

 

 

 

 

Table 3: Level of Correlation between Social Phobia and Depression among Adolescent Girls (N = 120)

 

The above table shows the Level of Correlation between Social Phobia and Depression among Adolescent Girls

 

From the above table it was interpreted the mean value for social phobia was 17.43, + 9. 075. Similarly, for depression the mean value was 21.64, +7.316. The ‘Karl Pearson Correlation Coefficient value was 0.264, it was inferred that there was a mild positive correlation between social phobia and depression.

 

Table 4: Level of Association between Social Phobia and Socio Demographic Variables

S. No.	Demographic Variables	Level of Social Phobia			ꭓ 2	P value
		None	Mild	Moderate
1	Age (Years)
	a. 10 – 13	2	1	0	0.554	0.968NS
	b. 14 – 16	36	18	3	(df = 4)
	c. 17 – 19	39	18	5
2	Education
	a. 10th standard	36	18	2	4.025	0.402NS
	b. 11th standard	22	11	2	(df = 4)
	c. 12th standard	19	6	4
3	Religion
	a. Hindu	67	34	8	4.208	0.379NS
	b. Sikh	5	1	0	(df = 4)
	c. Muslim	5	0	0
4	Father’s education
	a. No formal education	11	6	0
	b. Primary	52	19	4	6.495	0.37
	c. Secondary	9	6	3	(df = 6)
	d. Senior secondary	5	4	1
5	Mother’s education
	a. No formal education	15	19	1
	b. Primary	46	8	7	4.36	0.628NS
	c. Secondary	10	6	0	(df = 6)
	d. Senior secondary	6	2	0
6	Father’s occupation status
	a. Unemployed	12	7	1
	b. Private	30	16	1	5.517	0.479NS
	c. Government	17	4	3	(df = 6)
	d. Self – employed	18	8	3
7	Mother’s Occupation Status
	a. Unemployed	24	8	2
	b. Private	15	8	4	5.377	0.496NS
	c. Government	8	5	1	(df = 6)
	d. Self – employed	30	14	1
8	Family Monthly Income
	a. Rs 5547 – 9248	23	12	1	6.995	0.321NS
	b. Rs 9249 – 13873	24	11	1	(df = 6)
	c. Rs 13874 – 18497	20	5	3
	d. Rs 18498 – 36996	10	7	3
9	Previous History of Psychiatric Illness
	a. Present	1	0	1	6.386	0.041*
	b. Absent	76	25	7	(df = 2)

NS – Non-Significant, * Significant at 0.05 Level

 

From table 4 it was interpreted that, statistically significant association between level of social phobia and Previous History of Psychiatric illness (ꭓ2 = 6.386, df = 2 and ‘P’ value 0.041) at level of significance 0.05

 

Table 5: Level of Association between Depression and Sociodemographic Variables (N = 120)

S. No	Demographic Variables	Level of Depression				ꭓ 2	P value
		Minimal	Mild	Moderate	Severe
1	Age (Years)
	a. 10 – 13	0	1	2	0	8.769	0.187NS
	b. 14 – 16	11	12	21	11	(df = 6)
	c. 17 – 19	3	18	31	10
2	Education
	a. 10th standard	9	14	22	11	6.414	0.378NS
	b. 11th standard	5	8	16	6	(df = 6)
	c. 12th standard	0	9	16	4
3	Religion
	a. Hindu	13	29	48	19	6.463	0.373NS
	b. Sikh	0	1	5	0	(df = 6)
	c. Muslim	1	1	1	2
4	Father’s education
	a. No formal education	2	1	10	4
	b. Primary	11	23	26	15	17.643	0.040*
	c. Secondary	1	3	14	0	(df = 9)
	d. Senior secondary	0	4	4	2
5	Mother’s education
	a. No formal education	4	6	10	5
	b. Primary	7	18	31	15	6.783	0.660NS
	c. Secondary	3	5	8	0	(df = 9)
	d. Senior secondary	0	2	5	1
6	Father’s occupation status
	a. Unemployed	5	4	7	4	7.564	0.579NS
	b. Private	3	11	25	8	(df = 9)
	c. Government	4	7	9	4
	d. Self – employed	2	9	13	5
7	Mother’s Occupation Status
	a. Unemployed	6	7	12	9	10.789	0.290NS
	b. Private	2	11	12	2	(df = 9)
	c. Government	1	3	9	1
	d. Self – employed	5	10	21	9
8	Family Monthly Income
	a. Rs 5547 – 9248	4	9	15	8
	b. Rs 9249 – 13873	6	9	13	8	6.362	0.703NS
	c. Rs 13874 – 18497	2	9	15	2	(df = 9)
	d. Rs 18498 – 36996	2	4	11	3
9	Previous History of Psychiatric Illness
	e. Present	1	0	0	1	5.23	0.156NS
	f.  Absent	13	31	54	20	(df = 3)

NS – Non-Significant, * Significant at 0.05 Level

 

Table 5 depicts level of association between depression and sociodemographic variables. There was a statistically significant association between depression and father’s education (ꭓ2 = 17.643, df = 9, P Value = 0.040) at 0.05 level of significance.

 

DISCUSSION:

The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of social phobia and depression among adolescent girls.

 

Result of the current study analysis were consistent with the study done by Landell G. M et al, (2008) investigated the prevalence of self-reported social phobia in Swedish adolescents in junior high school, Students in grades 6–8 (aged 12–14) from seventeen schools in five Swedish municipalities were screened by means of a self-report questionnaire, the social phobia screening questionnaire-for children (SPSQ-C). Result of the study shows a point-prevalence rate of 4.4% (95%CI 3.5–5.2) and a significant gender difference (6.6% girls vs. 1.8% boys, P < 0.001).⁷

 

Nair M.K.C, Paul K.M and John R (2004) determined the prevalence and pattern of depression among adolescent’s methodology of the study shows samples were adolescents in age 13 to 19 from school students and school dropouts using Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) results shows 11.2 % of the samples in school dropouts had severe extreme grades of depression as against 3 % of school going children.⁸

 

CONCLUSION:

Adolescent girls studying in the selected schools in rural areas of Haryana were with mild or no social phobia and also majority of the subjects were with moderate depression. There was a mild positive correlation between social phobia and depression. Statistically significant associations were present between social phobia and previous history of any psychiatric illness. With depression there was a statistically significant association with father’s education. From the analysis we could found social phobia seems to have low prevalence when compared with depression. Father’s educational status of the adolescent girls seems to play a significant role in depression prevention among adolescent girls.

 

REFERENCE:

1.      Anxiety and Depression in Adolescence [Internet]. Child Mind Institute. [Cited 2021 Mar 19]. Available from: https:// childmind.org/report/2017-childrens-mental-health-report/anxiety-depression-adolescence/

2.      Blumenthal H, Leen-Feldner EW, Babson KA, Gahr JL, Trainor CD, Frala JL. Elevated Social Anxiety among Early Maturing Girls. Dev Psychol. 2011; 47(4):1133–40.

3.      Väänänen J-M, Marttunen M, Helminen M, Kaltiala-Heino R. Low perceived social support predicts later depression but not social phobia in middle adolescence. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine. 2014 Jan 1; 2(1): 1023–37.

4.      Health (UK) NCC for M. SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER [Internet]. Social Anxiety Disorder: Recognition, Assessment and Treatment. British Psychological Society; 2013 [cited 2021 Mar 20]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/ NBK327674/

5.      Alkhalifah AK, Alsalameh NS, Alhomaidhy MA, Alrwies NA. Prevalence of Social Phobia among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia. The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine. 2017 Oct 1; 69(5): 2412–6.

6.      Shah P, Lakhan K. Social phobia and its impact in Indian university students. The Internet Journal of Mental Health. 2010 Jan 1; 6.

7.      Gren-Landell M, Tillfors M, Furmark T, Bohlin G, Andersson G, Svedin CG. Social phobia in Swedish adolescents. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol. 2008 Jul 29; 44(1): 1.

8.      Nair MKC, Paul MK, John R. Prevalence of depression among adolescents. Indian J Pediatr. 2004 Jun 1; 71(6): 523–4.

 

 

 

Received on 20.03.2021         Modified on 10.04.2021

Accepted on 21.04.2021       ©A&V Publications All right reserved