Abstract

This narrative review is based on a literature search on PsycINFO and PubMed that involved entering the terms social anxiety and adolescents for papers published during the last two years. Following exclusion criteria, 53 papers could be classified as studies on social anxiety in adolescents including research on the prevalence, effects/comorbidities, risk factors and interventions for social anxiety. The prevalence of social anxiety in adolescents ranged from 2%-29%. The effects of social anxiety included emotion regulation problems, gaming, internet addiction, poor academic performance, and depression. The predictor or risk variables included female gender, inhibition, shyness, negative self-image, other anxiety and behavior disorders, excessive cell phone use, dysfunctional parenting, stressful peer interactions, loneliness, cyberbullying, excessive alcohol use, chronic medical conditions, sleep disturbances and elevated heart rate and cortisol. Physiological markers have included elevated skin conductance, heart rate, cortisol, and oxytocin. Intervention studies have focused on family functioning, memory training, cognitive behavior therapy and the use of CBD oil. Like other literature on adolescent problems, this research is limited by primarily deriving from self-report and by the need for more longitudinal studies that might inform whether the data being reported are effects of or risk factors for adolescent social anxiety as well as the need for more prevention/intervention research.