GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SOCIAL PHOBIA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH PERCEIVED STRESS

Abstract

The present study was designed to understand social phobia with reference to gender differences and the role of perceived stress in its occurrence. The sample comprised of 150 participants gathered through convenience sampling technique from University of Peshawar. The age range of the sample was between 18 to 35. Social Phobia Inventory (Connor, et al., and Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983) were used for data collection. Two hypotheses were proposed suggesting significant gender difference among males and females in social phobia and a positive correlation between perceived stress and social phobia. The results confirmed both the hypotheses showing males as scoring high on social phobia than females and significant positive correlation between perceived stress and social phobia.  Overall, the findings underscore the importance of addressing stress and emotional responses when developing interventions aimed at reducing social anxiety and improving psychological functioning among young adults.