How common is social anxiety disorder? A recent study looked at who is most affected.

Nearly one in seven adults are affected by social anxiety disorder (SAD), a new study, published June 1, from the University of Toronto has found. (Pixabay / Pexels)

Nearly one in seven adults are affected by social anxiety disorder (SAD), a new study from the University of Toronto has found.

This rate is up 71 per cent since 2002, the study found. The authors also say that SAD was “significantly” more prevalent in younger people, with numbers decreasing as age increased.

SAD is characterized as a crippling fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations, and can degrade quality of life and career progression, according to a press release for the study.

“Social anxiety is becoming more common in Canada, and understanding why this increase is happening is essential for improving mental health support,” Tak-Lai Nellie Chau, a recent master of social work graduate from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) at the University of Toronto, said in a press release Wednesday.

The study identified a number of characteristics associated with SAD, including history of sexual abuse, parental domestic violence, age, gender, marital status and education.

“These findings highlight the importance of a life course approach to understanding mental health,” said Esme Fuller-Thomson, study author and a University of Toronto professor. “Childhood experiences can cast a long shadow on adult mental health.”

The researchers examined 8,716 Canadians, all older than 19, with 1,040 meeting the criteria for SAD. The study found that nearly 14 per cent of adults struggled with SAD at some point in their life.

A majority of study subjects were female (50.9 per cent), white (72.2 per cent), Canadian-born (67.7 per cent), married (60.7 per cent), with post-secondary education (67.5), and with a household income of at least $80,000 (63.7 per cent).

“The prevalence of SAD among those 20-24 was approximately four times that of those aged 65 and older (24.2 per cent vs. 6.2 per cent),” the study says. About one in five respondents aged 25-34 had SAD, they also found.

Respondents born in Canada were twice as likely to struggle with SAD as compared to foreign-born respondents.

SAD was more common in women compared to men (16.2 per cent vs. 11.5 per cent), and among white versus non-white respondents (15.9 per cent vs. 9.2 per cent).

Social anxiety disorder was also higher in those who never married, were widowed, separated or divorced compared to those who were married or living common-law (18.6 per cent vs. 10.8 per cent).

Researchers found that people with more than a high school education were less likely to have SAD than with high school or less (13 per cent and 16.6 per cent).

Childhood sexual and physical abuse increased the odds of SAD in adults surveyed, the study found, as did parental domestic violence, the study found.