Gender Matter, Social Phobia and High-Risk Behaviors in Young Medical Students

BACKGROUND: Young is one of the most sensitive stages of human life. Social phobia and high-risk behaviors are factors that enhance young crises. This study aimed to determine the relationship between gender role, social phobia and high-risk behaviors among young medical students. METHODS: In this descriptive correlational study, 400 students were selected by quota sampling method from a medical university in Southeastern Iran. For data collection, the demographic information questionnaire, Gender Trait Index (GTI), Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), and Iranian Adolescent and Young Risk-Taking Scale (IAYRS) were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including mean and SD and analytic statistics such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests using SPSS 25 and p ≤ .05. RESULTS: The mean scores of masculinity and femininity gender roles were 38.98 ± 7.92 and 44.12 ± 7.76, respectively. Also, 70.5% of the students had dominant feminine traits, and the gender identity was high in 58.8% of the students and moderate in 40.2% of them. Social phobia (37.12 ± 12.61) and high-risk behaviors (81.77 ± 26.08) were moderate. A significant inverse relationship was found between masculine traits and social phobia (p <0.001). Another significant inverse relationship was observed between feminine traits and high-risk behaviors (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Given the poor relationship between gender role, social phobia and high-risk behaviors, it is essential to conduct further studies to determine the predictors of social phobia and high-risk behaviors in medical students.