Racial-Ethnic Differences in Social Anxiety among College Students

The present study investigated racial-ethnic differences in social anxiety among college students in two-year colleges. The sample consisted of 189 Asian American, African American, White American, and Hispanic American students from two colleges in the Southeast. Participants completed a questionnaire measure of social anxiety. The results indicated that social anxiety was lower for White American and higher for Hispanic American and Asian American students. It was reasoned that racial-ethnic differences in social anxiety might be culturally related and precipitated by varied concerns for racial-ethnic minority groups. These different concerns and implications for counseling students of color were discussed.