Social anxiety and negative early life events in university students.
BACKGROUND
There is substantial evidence regarding the impact of negative life events during childhood on the aetiology of psychiatric disorders. We examined the association between negative early life events and social anxiety in a sample of 571 Spanish University students.


METHODS
In a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2007, we collected data through a semistructured questionnaire of sociodemographic variables, personal and family psychiatric history, and substance abuse. We assessed the five early negative life events: (i) the loss of someone close, (ii) emotional abuse, (iii) physical abuse, (iv) family violence, and (v) sexual abuse. All participants completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale.


RESULTS
Mean (SD) age was 21 (4.5), 75% female, LSAS score was 40 (DP = 22), 14.2% had a psychiatric family history and 50.6% had negative life events during childhood. Linear regression analyses, after controlling for age, gender, and family psychiatric history, showed a positive association between family violence and social score (p = 0.03). None of the remaining stressors produced a significant increase in LSAS score (p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
University students with high levels of social anxiety presented higher prevalence of negative early life events. Thus, childhood family violence could be a risk factor for social anxiety in such a population.
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Parc Taulí, Barcelona, Spain.
Cynthia
C
Binelli
Ana
A
Ortiz
Armando
A
Muñiz
Estel
E
Gelabert
Liliana
L
Ferraz
Alaor
A
S Filho
José Alexandre S
JA
Crippa
Antonio E
AE
Nardi
Susana
S
Subirà
Rocío
R
Martín-Santos
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014495:Universities; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult