Ansiedad social y su impacto en el rendimiento académico en estudiantes de educación superior.

Abstract

In higher education, the process of academic adjustment takes place alongside constant social demands, such as oral presentations, collaborative work, class participation, practical assessments, and the construction of academic networks. In this context, social anxiety can function as a silent obstacle, as it is not limited to shyness but involves an intense or persistent fear of negative evaluation in social or performance situations. Clinical classification usually refers to social phobia or social anxiety disorder, terms that are considered equivalent in MeSH headings (National Library of Medicine, 2022) and in widely used diagnostic manuals (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). From a functional perspective, social anxiety can affect academic tasks that depend on interaction, such as asking questions, negotiating evaluation criteria, requesting feedback, presenting academic progress, and participating in discussions. In higher education, these tasks are often frequent and evaluative, which means that social discomfort can accumulate and influence decision-making, study planning, and participation. In a population-based cohort, social anxiety disorder has been described as a condition with a chronic course and early onset, suggesting that many students enter university with pre-existing symptoms and already established coping strategies (Vilaplana-Pérez et al., 2021). Beyond prevalence, the main concern for educational research is whether social anxiety is related to academic performance and, if so, through which pathways. In a longitudinal follow-up of first-year students, social anxiety and social skills were found to predict grade point average and university persistence over two years, together with academic and adjustment variables (Strahan, 2003). In practice, this relationship may appear as lower attendance in participatory classes, difficulties in asking for feedback, delays in tasks that require interaction, and reduced use of institutional support services.