Social anxiety in Finnish adolescents from 2013 to 2021: change from pre-COVID-19 to COVID-19 era, and mid-pandemic correlates

PURPOSE: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is prevalent in adolescents. Increase in levels of general anxiety since 2010’s has been observed in young people. Little is known of time trends in symptoms of social anxiety during 2010’s, of pre- to during-COVID-19 era changes, or of associations between social anxiety symptoms and pandemic severity, distance education, and COVID-19-related experiences in young people. METHODS: We examined social anxiety symptoms, their temporal changes, and their associations with COVID-19 related factors in a sample of 450 000 13-to-20-year-old Finns in 2013–2021. Data from nationwide School Health Promotion study was used. Social anxiety symptoms were assessed with the Mini-SPIN using cut-off score ≥ 6 as indicator of high social anxiety. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used, controlling for gender, age, family SES, and symptoms of general anxiety and depression. RESULTS: High-level social anxiety symptoms increased markedly from 2013/2015 to 2021 among both sexes. A steeper increase was found among females. In 2021, 47% of females self-reported high social anxiety, a two-fold increase relative to 2013/2015. No association between regional COVID-19 incidence and change in social anxiety symptoms was found. No clear associations between time spent in distance education and social anxiety symptoms were found. Fears of getting infected or transmitting coronavirus, and reports of not getting needed support for schoolwork during distance education were all associated with high social anxiety. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of high social anxiety in young people aged 13–20 has increased considerably from 2013 to 2021, especially among girls. During COVID-19 pandemic, socially anxious young people report a need for educational support and suffer from infection-related fears. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00127-023-02466-4.