Social phobia is frequent among adolescents, and its identification and determination of potential impairments are of great importance. OBJECTIVES: To report the prevalence and impact of social phobia on education in a sample of adolescents. METHODS: The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) was administered to 525 students of primary and high school, of both genders, in one public and one private school in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, but 32 students were excluded from the study due to incomplete answers. A sociodemographic questionnaire were also administered. RESULTS: According to the SPIN, 114 of 493 (23.12%) students obtained scores equal to or greater than 19 points, indicating the presence of symptoms compatible with diagnosis of social phobia. Girls tended to show a greater frequency of social anxiety disorder when compared to boys (p = 0.053). Social phobia was not associated with school repetition. CONCLUSIONS: Social phobia symptoms are common among teenagers and, due to its chronic course, may result in severe impairments. In this study, a correlation between social phobia and school repetition was not found. However, early identification and treatment of such disorder is extremely important.
Social phobia; adolescents; prevalence; impairment
