ABSTRACT
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV), de®nes social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia) as `a marked or persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations' (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 411). Social situations must invariably evoke anxiety or prompt avoidance in the individual, and he or she must realize the fear is excessive or unreasonable. Individuals with social anxiety disorder experience signi®cant impairment in social, educational, and occupational functioning (Schneier et al., 1994). They are more likely to be divorced or never to have married (Wittchen, Fuetsch, Sonntag, Muller, & Liebowitz, 1999) and often have fewer friends than persons without the disorder (Whisman, Sheldon, & Goering, 2000). Impairment in occupational functioning includes more missed work days and reduced productivity than mentally healthy individuals (Stein, McQuaid, Laffaye, & Cahill, 1999). Socially anxious individuals also work at a level below their ability and have higher rates of unemployment (Wittchen et al., 1999). Subsequently, overall low life satisfaction is commonly associated with social anxiety (Hambrick, Turk, Heimberg, Schneier, & Liebowitz, 2003).
