Social Anxiety Symptoms and Their Relation to Anxiety Sensitivity, Shame and Intolerance of Uncertainty in a Sample of Lebanese College Youth

Objectives: The present study examined social anxiety symptoms in relation to concern about anxiety, proneness to shame, and the tendency to react negatively to uncertain situations in a group of college youth. Method: A total of 300 university students (51.9% women) completed the Arabic translated version of the Social Anxiety Questionnaire for Adults (SAQ-A30), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, the Self Shame Scale and the Intolerance of the Uncertainty Scale. Results: The Arabic SAQ-A30 derived social anxiety symptoms scores were correlated with the demographic factors of age and gender as well as the three risk factors of anxiety sensitivity, shame and intolerance to uncertainty. Social anxiety symptom scores were not related to the demographic factors of age or gender. On the other hand, social anxiety symptom scores correlated positively with anxiety sensitivity (r= .47, p .001), intolerance of uncertainty scores (r= .43, p .001), and shame scores (r= .36, p .001). Conclusion: The findings highlight the pertinence of anxiety sensitivity, shame and intolerance of uncertainty to social anxiety symptoms in college youth and their potential as targets for intervention.