Social anxiety disorder in the university student context: Evaluation and promotion of interactions

Abstract

The literature is in agreement regarding findings related to the relationship between social skill behaviors in the university, academic performance and mental health, including Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Due to this concern, characterization and intervention studies with clinical and community populations were carried out at the Development, Learning and Health Laboratory (LADS) of the State University of São Paulo. The aim of this chapter is to describe the findings, to date, of the characterization and intervention studies with university students in general, and especially those with SAD. For this, the Promove-University Students will be briefly described, as well as the QHC-University Students (Social Skills, Behaviors and Contexts Questionnaire for University Students). The QHC was elaborated and validated as a psychological test used to measure social skills and difficulties. The characterization studies encountered interpersonal difficulties with people of the university, for example, friends, colleagues and professors, however, also with parents, siblings and partners, in that people with SAD had more difficulties, fewer social skills and more negative feelings in the contexts of social interactions. The people with SAD presented more problems with public speaking, as well as with communication, assertive skills, problem solving and affection. The results with the Promove-University Students found a decrease or remission of the symptoms of SAD after the intervention, as well as the acquisition of social skills, with maintenance in the follow-up evaluations. It is believed that the current body of research supports public policies regarding the application and evaluation, on a large scale, of the Promove-University Students. © 2018 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.