Shahrzad Mazhari - Psychiatrist, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Maryam Ekhlaspour - General Practitioner, Neuroscience Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Nabi Banazadeh - Psychiatrist, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

Background & Objective: Public speaking is a common academic activity Social phobia is associated with fear of public speaking which affects educational achievement However few researches have examined the prevalence of social phobia among university students in Iran The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of social phobia among students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences Iran and its impact on their academic performance   Methods: Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) Brief Version of Negative Evaluation Scale and a questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics and academic performance were applied to ۷۰۰ randomly selected students from Kerman University of Medical Sciences   Results: The prevalence of social phobia among the university students was ۴۰۶% Grade Point Average (GPA) was not significantly different between the students with social phobia comparing to students without social phobia Yet students with social phobia believed that fear of speaking in public had negative effects on their academic performance In this study only ۴۱% of students with social phobia have been visited by psychiatrists   Conclusion: Preventive strategies are recommended to reduce the underrecognition and the adverse impact of social phobia on academic performance of university students

Social phobia, Academic performance, Medical university students, Kerman (Iran)