Generally, in order to diagnosis this crosier, a thorough history of the client must be evaluated. Social anxiety can be managed by incorporating psychosocial interventions into clients daily lives as well as getting them on a medication that works well for their specific symptoms (Muezzin & Shaggy, 2014). We thought it would be most informative for us to observe our subjects in their natural settings since basic screening questions for this disorder can be asked in a few minutes and red flag individuals who may need a more extensive evaluation.
We wanted to see if teenagers had this disorder as often as adults in hoping to possibly establish more support within the schools if it indeed ended up being as big of a problem with teens. Social anxiety can be a big issue because those that have this disorder also frequently have co-occurring disorders such as depression, substance abuse, and suicidal tendencies (Muezzin & Shaggy, 2014). Some common activities that patients with social anxiety often fear are those that most people will undoubtedly have to partake in quite frequently throughout their everyday life, and even more so for teenagers.Activities such as eating in front f others, introducing themselves to groups of people, having to interact with strangers and authority figures, dating, speaking in class, starting a conversation with members of the opposite sex, being tested, asking questions, and using public facilities like bathrooms, tend to bring about the embarrassing and stress inducing symptoms associated with social anxiety.
Current research has shown that social anxiety disorder usually develops before the age of 20 (Muezzin & Shaggy, 2014).As well as determining whether social anxiety affects teenagers as much as adults, we also wanted to try and pinpoint exactly what age this disorder tends to become an issue for those who have it. The reasons for such an early onset of this disorder are complicated. Some issues that are thought to be a factor in making one prone to develop social anxiety are genetics, learned behaviors, and parental overprotection or rejection ( Muezzin & Shaggy, 2014). 2. Describe your sample population in detail (selection method, size, composition, any incentives offered, etc.
). The participants for this research consisted of 20 teenagers.The teenagers are between the ages of 13 years old and 16 years old. The other participants of the research consisted of 30 young adults.
The adults are between the ages of 21 years old and 25 years old. Social Anxiety is currently one of the most common issues that affect individuals with mental health disorders. This disorder affects more than 40 million adults that are over the age of 18 in the United States (Albany & Detailer, 2001). In our study we used teenagers from 13 years old to 16 years old, as well as adults from 21 years old to 25 years. The disorder usually has it's onset around the age of 13.
Studies show that women are more likely to have social anxiety than men are (Albany & Detailer, 001). The size of the participants in our research study consisted of 50 people. There were more adults chosen for the study because it is easier to assess the symptoms in adults than children (Albany & Detailer, 2001). Studies show that social anxiety is very common in adults but affects only 1% of children (Albany & Detailer, 2001). This may be a main reason why children's symptoms are associated with having a shy personality rather than a condition that needs treatment.The adults and teenagers were selected from EX.
High School and EX. College. We used the naturalistic method of research so that we could view the participants in their trial environments. While we watched the participants, we also took notes on the people we thought displayed symptoms of social anxiety.
A Social Interaction Anxiety Scale was also used and evaluated in our more anxious acting participants. This scale shows high internal consistency and test-retest reliability (Leary, 1983). It also shows strong evidence of construct and criterion validity.Many of our participants got nervous when they had to speak in front of someone in authority, had difficulty making eye contact with others, found it hard to communicate with the people they ad to work with, had difficulty talking to other people, and worried about expressing themselves to others. Cognitive-behavioral therapy along with behavioral therapy has been proven to be a successful treatment for treating social anxiety (Chatter, Gilbert & Wagner, 2010). With this treatment, people can go on to live a life that is not controlled by fear and anxiety.
People that attend this type of therapy must be honest, compliant, and do whatever they have to do to try and alleviate the symptoms associated with social anxiety. The participants that we selected had were given the incentive of having the option to attend cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy to help them overcome social anxiety. 3. Describe the descriptive method(s) that you selected to utilize in your research study and explain why you selected these methods. Describe fully your procedures and data collection methods.The descriptive method utilized in our research study of Social Anxiety is Observational method, also known as Field observation.
The observational method allows the research team to conduct the study in a more natural environment and provides an opportunity to closely observe human behavior. There is great validity in terms of the ecological factor in this research. Considering the study subjects would be at their most natural state in a social setting, the research team devoted their time entirely throughout the day in segments to observing and assessing the behaviors displayed.Participants The participants for this study consisted of 20 teenagers between the ages of 13 years old and 16 years old, 10 male and 10 female. The younger adult participants also consisted of 30 individuals with ages ranging between 21 years old through 25 years old, 15 male and 15 female. The teenagers were students that attended EX.
gig school, grades 9-12, and the young adults were students at EX. College. The participants were obtained through social media sites such as Backbone, Twitter and their school web blob to participate in a voluntary self assessment for social anxiety.Participants were directed towards specific online assessment depending on their age. The teenagers were directed to a self assessment for social anxiety known as Lobotomize Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (LASS-CA) (Olivares, Sanchez-Garcia, Rosa, & Piques, 2004) which has a 24 item scale and a duration of 10-20 minutes to complete.
The younger adults were directed to Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) Monsoon, Nolan, & Anderson, 2006) self report screening assessment, consisting of 17 items and a duration of 10 minutes to complete.Procedure After the initial online screening, the participants were chosen based on the data results of their assessment. Post initial screening, the teenagers were observed through a researcher sit in located in the cafeteria and the gym, the researcher would record for 1 hour on two consecutive weeks. The first two weeks the teenagers were observed, the following two weeks the young adults were observed. The location for observation for the young adults was conducted by a researcher sit in at the dormitory and campus cafe.
A behavioral checklist was used to note and record the behaviors and in this particular study. 4. Describe how you analyzed your data and speculate on your expected outcome(s) of the study. Reference Albany, A. M.
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