The Role of Social Skills in Social Anxiety of University Students

Abstract

Social anxiety is one of the most frequent mental health problems and there is no consensus regarding the relation between social skills and anxiety. This study aimed to compare the behavioral indicators of social skills presented by university students with social anxiety in relation to a non-clinical group, and to verify the predictive value of the social skills for social anxiety. Participants were 288 university students, 144 with Anxiety Disorder and 144 non-clinical. Social skills were assessed using the QHC-University (Social Skills, Behaviors and Context Assessment Questionnaire for University Students) and the IHS-Del-Prette instruments. Mental health indicators were assessed through screening and diagnostic instruments. Through univariate and multivariate analysis an association was found between social skills and anxiety, highlighting public speaking, potential, difficulties, and the total social skills score as predictors of social anxiety, which contributes to demonstrating the role the resources and difficulties play in this.