ArticlePloS one2020
Social anxiety in young people: A prevalence study in seven countries.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 95 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
95 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 294 citations in OpenAlex.
- The relationship between fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Understanding the relationship of social anxiety with alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in young people: A meta-analysis.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Global prevalence and associated factors of social anxiety disorder among medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Digital Mental Health Interventions for the Prevention and Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Global Prevalence of Social Anxiety Disorder in Children, Adolescents and Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2024Pooled it
- The Relationship Between Perceived Parenting Style and Social Anxiety: A Meta-analysis of Mainland Chinese Students.Child psychiatry and human development · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Prevalence of social anxiety disorder and symptoms among Chinese children, adolescents and young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Virtual Reality Exposure-Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT + VRE) vs. CBT With Imaginal Exposure (CBT + IE) for Adolescent Patients Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Depression and anxiety · 2026Trial
- Group sports games for social anxiety in university students: a randomized controlled trial revealing gender-specific efficacy.BMC psychology · 2025Trial
- A quasi-randomised pilot study on the efficacy and perceived usefulness of adding chemosignals to mindfulness practice for women with social anxiety.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Prevention and treatment of social anxiety disorder in adolescents: mixed method randomised controlled trial of the guided online intervention SOPHIE.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Are online norms-based alcohol interventions efficacious for college students with higher social anxiety?Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2025Trial
- A proof of concept study on digital interventions for reducing socio-evaluative stress and anxiety in youth.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Studying the Digital Intervention Engagement-Mediated Relationship Between Intrapersonal Measures and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Adherence in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Anxiety, symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and awake bruxism in children: an observational study.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026Observational
- Effectiveness and Usability of Digital Slow Breathing and Detached Mindfulness Interventions in Late Adolescents: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Social Anxiety and Sensation-seeking Tendencies in Young Adults.Annals of neurosciences · 2026Article
- Social Anxiety Profiles and Psychopathological Symptom Differences in Spanish Adolescents.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026Article
- Stigmatizing attitudes and causal beliefs for depression and social anxiety among adolescents in Bermuda.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
35 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Social anxiety is a fast-growing phenomenon which is thought to disproportionately affect young people. In this study, we explore the prevalence of social anxiety around the world using a self-report survey of 6,825 individuals (male = 3,342, female = 3,428, other = 55), aged 16-29 years (M = 22.84, SD = 3.97), from seven countries selected for their cultural and economic diversity: Brazil, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, US, and Vietnam. The respondents completed the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). The global prevalence of social anxiety was found to be significantly higher than previously reported, with more than 1 in 3 (36%) respondents meeting the threshold criteria for having Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Prevalence and severity of social anxiety symptoms did not differ between sexes but varied as a function of age, country, work status, level of education, and whether an individual lived in an urban or rural location. Additionally, 1 in 6 (18%) perceived themselves as not having social anxiety, yet still met or exceeded the threshold for SAD. The data indicate that social anxiety is a concern for young adults around the world, many of whom do not recognise the difficulties they may experience. A large number of young people may be experiencing substantial disruptions in functioning and well-being which may be ameliorable with appropriate education and intervention.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.