Comparison of Social Anxieties Among Han, Tibetan, and Muslim University Students in China

Abstract

In this study we used the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS; Leary, 1983) to explore current situations and compare various characteristics of social anxieties among Han, Tibetan, and Muslim ethnic groups in Qinghai Province, China. We found that, when compared to the population norm, Han, Tibetan, and Muslim undergraduates recorded high IAS scores. There were significant gender differences in social anxiety levels, with females scoring higher than males. In terms of IAS scores gender differences among students from these 3 ethnic groups were found to be significant and there were significant differences in IAS scores among the groups according to grade.