The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Anxiety: A Systematic Review

Summary & key facts

This systematic review looked at 33 studies about social anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The studies suggest social anxiety increased in the general population. Women and people with low incomes appeared more likely to report higher social anxiety. Other links to higher social anxiety included poor coping, weaker social support, worse socio-emotional well-being, and having had COVID-19. The review also notes many studies were cross-sectional and did not control for other factors, so we cannot be certain the pandemic caused the increases.

Key facts:

• The review included 33 empirical studies published up to November 2022.
• Across broader mental health data cited in the paper, there were an estimated 76.2 million additional cases of anxiety disorders worldwide during the pandemic, a 25.6% increase (this figure refers to anxiety disorders overall, not only soci
• The Australian Bureau of Statistics data cited showed 12-month prevalence of Social Anxiety Disorder was 7.0% during the pandemic, up from 4.7% previously.
• The review found that women and low-income earners were especially vulnerable to heightened social anxiety during the pandemic.
• Factors reported to be associated with higher social anxiety included impaired coping strategies, lower socio-emotional well-being, limited support networks, and having contracted SARS-CoV-2.
• People with a pre-existing Social Anxiety Disorder diagnosis may have been at risk of broader deterioration in mental health during the pandemic.
• Many of the studies in the review used cross-sectional designs. The authors state this limits the ability to draw causal conclusions and that some associations may be inflated because mediating variables were not always accounted for.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in negative mental health outcomes throughout the world, and its impact on social interactions and relationships is likely to be evident in problematic social anxiety. This systematic review qualitatively synthesized data from studies that have reported on the effects of the pandemic on social anxiety. A systematic search of Web of Science Core Collection, Embase, PsychINFO, Scopus, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Proquest Central-Dissertations and Theses was conducted, with thirty-three studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The results suggest that social anxiety has been heightened in the general population due to the pandemic, with women and low-income earners being especially vulnerable. Other contributing factors include impaired coping strategies, lower socio-emotional well-being, limited support networks, and contraction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Individuals with a Social Anxiety Disorder diagnosis may be at risk of a deterioration of mental health in general. Limitations of the literature reviewed include the predominance of cross-sectional study designs, which limit causal inferences are limited. Additionally, associations may be inflated as many studies have not accounted for mediating variables. Taken together, the research suggests that social anxiety, either pre-pandemic or arising due to the pandemic environment, has contributed to a variety of negative mental health outcomes related to social anxiety.

Topics

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes COVID-19 and Mental Health Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Anxiety Clinical psychology Coping (psychology) Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Disease Environmental health Infectious disease (medical specialty) Law Medicine MEDLINE Mental health Pandemic Pathology Political science Population Psychiatry Psychology Scopus Social anxiety Social psychology Social support Systematic review

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Depression Anxiety or worry Feeling disconnected from others Poor sleep Sadness or low mood