Social Phobia among University Students: Prevalence and Socio- Demographic Factors

The main purpose of this study was to explore the socio-demographic differences in the prevalence of social phobia among university students. The sample of the study consisted of 729 students (284 males, 445 females), recruited from the University of Jordan. Results showed that the overall prevalence rate of social phobia among the study sample was 17.7%. However, the prevalence rate of social phobia among females was significantly higher than that of males; among the students whose parents’ education is high school and below was higher than that of students whose parents’ education is college and above; among students coming from big families was higher than that of students coming from medium or small families; among students coming from families with low income was higher than that of students coming from families with medium or high income; and among students graduated from public schools was higher than that of students graduated from private schools. No significant differences were found in the prevalence rates of social phobia by academic level, birth order or place of residence.