Social Anxiety, Insomnia, Social Support in Young Adults

Abstract

Social anxiety disorder is a psychological disorder where there is an intense, persistent fear inside a person of being watched, evaluated and judged by others which could affect their social lives like work, school, and other daily activities. Insomnia is a sleeping disorder which creates difficulty for a person to fall or staying asleep even when one gets that environment or opportunity to sleep well which makes us feel tired throughout the day and creates hindrances in functioning well in our day to day lives. Social Support is that type of support where pro social responses like aide and assistance are being provided by human beings to one another at times of need to remain integrated into society. Young adulthood stage in one’s life is characterized by rapid physical maturation, development of secondary sexual characteristics, cognitive and social skill development, economic independence. The present study adopts a correlational design to determine if there is any relation between social anxiety, insomnia, and social support in young adults. It adopts a between group design for determining gender differences with respect to social anxiety, insomnia, and social support. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select sample. During the data collection, 60 young adults were obtained out of which 30 are males and 30 are females. The findings showed positive relation between social anxiety and insomnia, social anxiety and social support, insomnia and social support in young adults. The findings showed gender difference with respect to insomnia and social support where males scored higher than females in insomnia and females scored higher than males in social support. The findings suggest that if people could lend support to each other in different social settings through mutual cooperation and exhibiting socially appropriate behaviours, then that would help those individuals who face social anxiety, to conduct themselves smoothly without facing any kind of anxiety with respect to how to present themselves properly in different social settings which in turn would prevent them from going through insomnia by thinking about it.

Introduction

The study explores the relationship between social anxiety, insomnia, and social support in young adults (ages 18–26), highlighting how modern societal pressures — particularly the need to be socially accepted — contribute to anxiety and disrupted sleep patterns.

Young Adulthood:

• A critical transition period characterized by:

  • Gaining independence

  • Building romantic and familial relationships

  • Taking on societal responsibilities

  • Maintaining physical and mental health

• Physical and behavioral health are essential, with emotional well-being, substance use prevention, and disease management being key concerns.

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD):

• Defined by intense fear of social judgment, embarrassment, and avoidance of social situations.

• Symptoms include fear of rejection, humiliation, and distress in social performance.

• Onset typically around age 13, affecting up to 15% of the population, with higher prevalence in women.

• Causes include genetic predisposition, childhood trauma, overprotective parenting, and negative social experiences.

Treatments include:

• Self-help and psychotherapy (e.g., CBT, psychodynamic therapy)

• Systematic desensitization

• Medications such as SSRIs, SNRIs, and MAOIs

Insomnia:

• A sleep disorder involving difficulty falling or staying asleep, leading to fatigue and impaired functioning.

• Can be caused by genetics, brain activity, medical and mental health conditions, life stressors, lifestyle habits, and poor sleep hygiene.

• Treatments include light therapy, CBT, and medications like sedatives or antidepressants.

Social Support:

• Involves emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support.

• Acts as a protective buffer during stress (Buffering Hypothesis).

• Promotes resilience, mental health, and helps reduce stress and anxiety.

• Effective in family, academic, and workplace settings.

Literature Review Highlights:

• High prevalence of social anxiety among young adults globally (e.g., 36% met diagnostic criteria in a 2020 study).

• Increasing rates of insomnia, particularly among women, as shown in studies from Norway and others.

• Multiple studies show interlinked relationships among social anxiety, insomnia, and social support, often moderated by depression or coping mechanisms.

• Social support is often negatively correlated with social anxiety and insomnia, suggesting its protective role.

Research Framework:

• Research Questions & Objectives focus on exploring correlations between the three variables (social anxiety, insomnia, social support) and examining gender differences.

• Hypotheses include:

  1. Positive relation between social anxiety and insomnia.

  2. Negative relation between social anxiety and social support.

  3. Negative relation between insomnia and social support.
     4–6. Gender differences exist in all three variables.

Methodology:

• Design: Correlational and between-group design.

• Sample: 60 young adults (30 males, 30 females) selected via purposive sampling.

• Data Analysis: Focuses on examining relationships and gender differences using statistical methods (details likely in following sections).

Key Takeaways:

• Social pressures among young adults contribute to increased social anxiety, which can lead to insomnia.

• Social support plays a critical buffering role in reducing both anxiety and sleep problems.

• There are gender differences in how these variables manifest, with women typically experiencing higher levels of anxiety and insomnia.

• The study emphasizes the need for systematic intervention strategies, including mental health support and promoting healthy social environments.

References

[1] Retrieved from Committee on Improving the Health, Safety, and Well-Being of Young Adults; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute of Medicine; National Research Council; Bonnie RJ, Stroud C, Breiner H, editors.Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2015 Jan 27. Introduction. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK284791/. [2] “Social Anxiety Disorder”. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://app.pulsenotes.com/specialities/psychiatry/notes/social-anxiety-disorder. [3] “Insomnia”. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12119-insomnia#additional-common-questions. [4] Retrieved from Nadeau, J. & Boyd, N. (2023). Social Support: Definition, Theory & Examples. Study.com. https://study.com/learn/lesson/social-emotional-support-theory-examples-benefits.html. [5] Jefferies, P., & Ungar, M. (2020). Social anxiety in young people: A prevalence study in seven countries. PloS one, 15(9), e0239133. [6] Sivertsen, B. et al. (2019). Sleep patterns and insomnia in young adults: A national survey of Norwegian university students. Journal of sleep research, 28(2), e12790. [7] Kim, S., & Suh, S. (2019). Social support as a mediator between insomnia and depression in female undergraduate students. Behavioral sleep medicine. [8] Buckner, J. D. et al. (2008). Social anxiety and insomnia: the mediating role of depressive symptoms. Depression and anxiety, 25(2), 124-130. [9] Su-Ran, G. U. O., Sai-Wei, W. U., & Xiao-Wei, F. E. N. G. (2014). The influence of social support on sleep quality: evidence from multiple mediation model. Journal of Psychological Science, 37(6), 1404. [10] Xu, J., & Tang, J. (2023). Social support as a mediator between anxiety and quality of sleep among Chinese parents of special children. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1077596. [11] Deng, Y., & Wang, X. (2024). The impact of physical activity on social anxiety among college students: the chain mediating effect of social support and psychological capital. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1406452. [12] Blumenthal, H., et al. (2019). The links between social anxiety disorder, insomnia symptoms, and alcohol use disorders: findings from a large sample of adolescents in the United States. Behavior therapy, 50(1), 50-59. [13] Craske, M., et al. (2013). Severity measure for social anxiety disorder (social phobia)—Adult. Am. Psychiatr. Assoc. [14] Soldatos, C. R., Dikeos, D. G., & Paparrigopoulos, T. J. (2003). The diagnostic validity of the Athens Insomnia Scale. Journal of psychosomatic research, 55(3), 263-267. [15] Sarason, I.G et al. (1987). A brief measure of social support: Practical and theoretical implications. Journal of social and personal relationships, 4(4), 497-510. [16] Rapee RM, Heimberg RG. A cognitive-behavioral model of anxiety in social phobia. Behav Res Ther. (1997) 35:741–56. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(97)00022-3 [17] Lima, Rodrigo et al. (2019). The synergic relationship between social anxiety, depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality and body fatness in adolescents. Journal of Affective Disorders. 260. 10.1016/j.jad.2019.08.074. [18] Calsyn et al. (2005). The relationship between social anxiety and social support in adolescents. A test of competing causal models. Adolescence. 40. 103-13. [19] Shahzadi K. (2024). PERSONALITY TRAITS, SOCIAL ANXIETY AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG EMERGING ADULTS. 10 (5). 23-41. [20] Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological bulletin, 98(2), 310. [21] Lee, Kyung et al. (2021). Factors Affecting the Quality of Sleep in Young Adults. Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing. 32. 497. 10.12799/jkachn.2021.32.4.497. [22] Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/insomnia-in-men#risk-factors. [23] Janson et al. (2001). Insomnia in Men—A 10-Year Prospective Population Based Study. Sleep. 24. 425-30. 10.1093/sleep/24.4.425. [24] Taylor SE, Klein LC, Lewis BP, et al. Biobehavioral responses to stress in females: Tend-and-befriend, not fight-or-flight. Psychological review 2000; 107:411–429. [25] Tifferet, S. (2020). Gender differences in social support on social network sites: A meta-analysis. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 23(4), 199-209.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Atrayee Saha. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.