Association of Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms with Self-Esteem, Ego-Resiliency and Social Support in Medical Students
Sung-Eun Lee, MD1;Seung-Gon Kim, MD, PhD1,2;Sang Hoon Kim, MD, PhD1,2;Sang Hag Park, MD, PhD1,2;Eun Hyun Seo, PhD3; and Hyung-Jun Yoon, MD, MS1,2;
1;Department of Psychiatry1, Chosun University Hospital, Gwangju, 2;Department of Psychiatry, Chosun University College of Medicine, Gwangju, 3;Premedical Science, Chosun University College of Medicine, Gwangju, Korea
Objective :
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of social anxiety disorder (SAD) and its association with psychosocial factors including self-esteem, ego-resiliency, and social support in a sample of medical students.
Methods : A total of 405 medical students were included in this study. Subjects were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire, measures of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), the
Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Ego-Resiliency Scale (ERS), and the Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (DUFSS). The SAD and non-SAD group were defined using the SPIN score of 25 as a cut-off. The multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the association of self-esteem, ego-resiliency, and social support with SAD symptoms.
Results : A total of 79 subjects (19.5%) were identified with SAD. The total RSES score, ERS score, and DUFSS score were significantly lower in the SAD group than the non-SAD group. The total SPIN score negatively correlated with the total RSES score (r=-0.481, p<0.001), the ERS score (r=-0.417, p<0.001), and the DUFSS score (r=-0.406, p<0.001). In the multiple regression, SAD symptoms were associated with self-esteem (β=-0.549, p<0.001), ego-resiliency (β=-0.395, p<0.001), and social support (β=-0.346, p<0.001).
Conclusion : This study revealed the prevalence of SAD and its negative association with self-esteem, ego-resiliency, and social support among medical students. Our findings indicate that improving self-esteem and ego-resiliency as well as perceived social support may contribute to the management of SAD symptoms among medical students.
Key words : Social anxiety disorder;Self-esteem;Ego-resiliency;Social support;Medical students.
