The Prevalence of Social-Evaluative Anxiety in Opioid Users Seeking Treatment

Abstract

The presence of social-evaluative anxiety in opioid users has been consistently recognized by clinicians, but as yet has not been systematically investigated. Scores on the Social Avoidance and Distress (SAD) Scale and the Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) Scale were obtained from the randomly selected files of 159 opioid users presenting for treatment at an inner city drug advisory service. Approximately one-quarter of the sample reported anxiety which may be considered psychologically and socially disfunctional. The prevalence of social-evaluative anxiety reported in this sample has implications for the provision of appropriate and effective treatment for this distressed population.

Key Words:

• Opiates
• Heroin dependence
• Treatment
• Anxiety
• Social phobia