Tariq Rashid, Ayesha Saddiqua, Saadia Naureen.
Social Anxiety among Depressed and Non Depressed People.
Annals Punjab Med Coll Jan ;5(1):33-8.

Objective: The study was designed to assess and compare the social anxiety among depressed and non depressed people and to explore the split up of participants as per gender. Study Design:  Comparative Study. Duration and Place of Study: The study was conduced from February 2010 to April 2010 in Outdoor of psychiatry department DHQ Hospital Faisalabad and Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan. Patients and Method: This comparative study was carried out as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Mild to moderate patients of depression were included in the study and patients who had depression with psychotic features were excluded from the study as per purposive sampling technique. For non depressed people, students were included in the study whereas working people were excluded as per convenient sampling technique. Sample (N=90) was comprised of 45 patients of depression and 45 non depressed people as control group. Sample of patients with depression (20 males & 25 females) were drawn from Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Divisional Headquarter Hospital, Faisalabad through purposive sampling technique. Sample of control group (20 males & 25 females) was drawn from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan through Convenient Sampling Technique. To diagnose the patients with social anxiety and depression, the diagnostic criteria of DSM IV TR and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale were employed while demographic variable such as gender was recorded on a demographic sheet. Independent sample t-test was used to analyze and make inferences from the data collected fromsample by using SPSS version 10. Results: Results showed that patients of depression have higher level of social anxiety (M=89.00, SD=12.79) as compared to non depressed people (M=21.71, SD=17.53), where t (88) =20.803, p=0.001, N=90 on the scale of social anxiety. Female patients of depression (M=79.85, SD=9.16) as compared to male patients of depression (M=96.32, SD= 10.38), where t (43) = 5.568, p=0, N= 45 which indicated that there is a significant difference on social anxiety scale among female patients of depression and male patients of depression. Another finding indicated that female patients of depression (M=96.32, SD=10.38) and non depressed females have (M=96.32, SD=10.38), where t (48) = .000, p=0.5, N=50 which indicated that there is no significant difference on social anxiety scale among female patients of depression and non depressed females. Results also showed that male patients of depression (M=79.85, SD=9.16) and non depressed males have (M=8.40, SD=8.40), where t (38) = 26.250, p=0, N=40 which indicated that there is highly significant difference on social anxiety scale among male patients of depression and non depressed males. Conclusion:  Depressed people have higher level of social anxiety comparatively non depressed people and as per gender, female patients of depression have higher level of social anxiety comparatively male patients of depression as told by this study and other studies as well, so depressed people and their families should educate about their illness and their treatment and increase contacts to build up confidence in a better way. 

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