Occupational impairment and Social Anxiety Disorder in a sample of primary care patients.

BACKGROUND: Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is the second most prevalent psychiatric condition in the US. Because of the inherent nature of SAD, it may cause impairments in workplace functioning, particularly compared to other anxiety disorders that do not necessarily lead to social impairments. In this study, we compared workplace functioning in primary care patients with SAD to patients with other anxiety disorders and comorbid Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
METHODS: Data are obtained from the Primary Care Anxiety Project (PCAP), a naturalistic, longitudinal study of anxiety disorders in 539 primary care patients. We examined intake demographic and interviewer-assessed ratings of workplace functioning.
RESULTS: Results revealed that patients with SAD and MDD had significantly decreased workplace functioning, compared to individuals with other anxiety disorders. Furthermore, results showed that patients with SAD were greater than two-times more likely to be unemployed, but expected to work, than all other patients. LIMITATIONS: Workplace functioning was not measured objectively and the sample may not be representative of the general population.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the particular need to assess for the presence of undereducation and underperformance at work and/or underemployment in individuals with SAD, as they are at most risk for these impairments. Additionally, early detection and intervention in individuals with or at risk for SAD may curb the future impact of social anxiety on occupational attainment.