What Is the Prevalence of Social Anxiety Disorder Among Adolescents in Ireland? How Does It Impact Their Lives and How Do Schools Address It?

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is the most common anxiety disorder encountered in adolescence; however, there is little research in this area in Ireland. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of SAD among adolescents in Ireland, how it impacts on their lives and to examine what support is in place in schools to address it. The findings suggest that social anxiety is highly prevalent among the adolescents who participated in this study and it has a huge impact on both their academic and personal lives. It also found that most teachers who participated are not confident identifying or supporting students with social anxiety. The findings promote training for teachers and the use of school-based interventions to enable access to treatment and support for socially anxious adolescents.