Social anxiety in culturally diverse young people: An insight into lived experiences

Objectives

There is little research exploring the subthreshold social anxiety (SSA) in culturally diverse young people. This study addresses this gap and provides an insight into the vivid world of this ‘hidden’ population.

Design

Four participants from England were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Four superordinate themes and their corresponding subordinate themes emerged from the transcripts: Excessive self-consciousness—The inner critic and Feeling judged by others; Influences of social and cultural norms—The impact of dress-code rules and The pressure of high expectations; Embracing a false reality—Patterns of avoidance and The public self; and Coping strategies—Breaking the wall of cultural norms, Pushing the bubble out and Know that you are not alone. Due to the vastness of the data, this study presents only the first two superordinate themes and their corresponding subordinate themes.

Methods

The author chose interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). This allowed the participants to describe thoroughly their lived experiences and enabled the researcher to adopt a scientific approach.

Results

The results revealed that the socio-cultural background of this population played a pivotal role in the prevalence and expression of SSA.

Conclusions

The participants' experiences were significantly influenced by the social and cultural norms of their country of origin as well as the characteristics of modern society in England. The predominant factors were the pressure of high expectations from family and society, transgenerational trauma, socio-cultural norms, uncertainty about the future and lack of opportunities to secure employment. Future research could examine the socio-cultural influences shaping contemporary British society and their impact on youth's mental health.