Quality of life impairments among adults with social phobia: The impact of subtype

Social phobia is characterized by extreme fear in social or performance situations in which the individual may be exposed to embarrassment or scrutiny by others, which creates occupational, social and academic impairment. To date, there are few data examining the relationship of social phobia impairments to quality of life. In this investigation, we examined how demographic characteristics, comorbidity, and social competence are related to quality of life among patients with social phobia and normal controls. In addition, we examined the impact of social phobia subtype. Results indicated that individuals with generalized social phobia had significantly impaired quality of life when compared to individuals with no disorder or individuals with nongeneralized social phobia. Comorbid disorders decreased quality of life only for patients with nongeneralized social phobia. Hierarchical linear regression revealed that a diagnosis of social phobia and observer ratings of social effectiveness exerted strong and independent effects on quality of life scores. Results are discussed in terms of the role of social anxiety, social competence, and comorbidity on the quality of life for adults with social phobia.

► Social phobia negatively impacts quality of life.
► Quality of life was compared among social phobia subtypes and normal controls.
► Decreased quality of life was associated with only the generalized social phobia subtype and the nongeneralized subtype with comorbid disorders.
► 20% of individuals with the generalized subtype showed clinical impairments in quality of life.
► Social skills predicted quality of life independent of social phobia diagnosis.