An Examination of Social Phobias Among Undergraduate College Students in Ireland

The current study titled “An examination of social phobias among undergraduate college students in Ireland”, aimed to examine if there were any group differences in social phobia levels in regards to variables such as age, gender, and academic year, the study was also interested in discovering if there was a perceived stigma amongst undergraduate college students in Ireland, in regards to seeking treatment or support for a social phobia. The main hypotheses for this were: (I) High levels of social phobia would be reported among undergraduate college students in Ireland. (II) There will be group differences in levels of social phobia based on variables such as age, gender, and academic year. (III) A majority of students will not have sought out help for their social phobia and there will be a perceived stigma associated with seeking help for a social phobia. The study was carried out using a quantitative approach, using a questionnaire to collect data, participants were required to answer questions based on the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). The study featured 122 participants, all aged 18 and over. The results showed that social phobia levels were high among undergraduate students in Ireland, however, there was no three-way interaction between age, gender, and academic year present in regards to social phobia. The results also showed that a majority of participants have not sought out help for a social phobia since the beginning of the pandemic and there was no perceived stigma towards seeking help for a social phobia