Demographic and clinical correlates of social anxiety disorder among US veterans: findings from the NESARC-III study

Purpose Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is among the most highly prevalent and debilitating psychiatric disorders within the US population, but SAD has gone relatively unnoticed within the US veteran population. Preliminary research has demonstrated that SAD is related to decreased mental and physical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2023-07, Vol.58 (7), p.1019-1028
Main Authors: Patel, Tapan A., Grubaugh, Anouk L., Cougle, Jesse R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety disorders
Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology
Comorbidity
Demographics
Demography
Epidemiology
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental disorders
Multivariate analysis
Phobia, Social - epidemiology
Post traumatic stress disorder
Psychiatry
Psychological stress
Regression analysis
Social anxiety
Social support
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology
Suicides & suicide attempts
Veterans - psychology
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Summary:Purpose Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is among the most highly prevalent and debilitating psychiatric disorders within the US population, but SAD has gone relatively unnoticed within the US veteran population. Preliminary research has demonstrated that SAD is related to decreased mental and physical functioning as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among veterans. Methods The present study investigated SAD and its relationship with demographic factors, psychiatric disorders, suicidality, treatment seeking, and social support among veterans. Multivariate survey weighted logistic regression analyses were conducted to observe these associations utilizing data from National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions which contained data on 3119 veterans. Results SAD was found to be strongly related to PTSD and other anxiety disorder, and these disorders were related to increased treatment seeking for SAD. Further, SAD was associated with lifetime suicide attempts and decreased perceived social support in multivariate models adjusting for demographic factors and psychiatric comorbidities. Conclusion This study highlights the relationships of SAD among veterans by demonstrating its associations with other psychiatric disorders, treatment seeking, suicide attempts, and social support. A deeper understanding of the impact of SAD within the veteran population will inform future prevention and treatment efforts.
ISSN:0933-7954
1433-9285
DOI:10.1007/s00127-023-02420-4