Relationship between Social Anxiety, Academic Achievement and Quality of Life of Undergraduate Students of Pakistan

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of social anxiety on quality of life and academic achievement of university students.Social anxiety is a prevalent psychological concern among young adults, significantly affecting their academic performance, social interactions, and overall quality of life, making it a crucial area of study in mental health and education. 484 undergraduate students (186 male, 149 female) aged 18-27 years, from public and private universities of Peshawar, Islamabad, and Karachi were surveyed using SIAS (Mattick & Clarke, 1989) and the WHOQOL-BREF (1995). Females outperformed male students academically. Social anxiety had a significant negative correlation with quality of life, but a non-significant negative correlation with GPA. Age, gender, family dynamics, and institutional differences had no significant relationship with social anxiety or quality of life. The findings highlight the need to address social anxiety to enhance young adults’ academic success, quality of life, societal contributions, and to guide effective healthcare and policy interventions.