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

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Abstract

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 W Call St., Tallahassee, FL, 32304, USA

    Tapan A. Patel & Jesse R. Cougle

  2. Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA

    Anouk L. Grubaugh

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    Anouk L. Grubaugh

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  1. Tapan A. Patel
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  3. Jesse R. Cougle
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Contributions

T.A.P.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Writing - Original Draft A.L.G.: Conceptualization, Writing - Review & Editing J.R.C.: Conceptualization, Writing - Review & Editing, Supervision, Resources.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jesse R. Cougle.

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Patel, T.A., Grubaugh, A.L. & Cougle, J.R. Demographic and clinical correlates of social anxiety disorder among US veterans: findings from the NESARC-III study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 58, 1019–1028 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-023-02420-4

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