The relationship of social anxiety and peer relationship with mental well-being among university students

In this study, it aims This study aimed to reveal the relationship between social anxiety and the mental well-being of peers among university students. This study will answer the following research questions: What role do social anxiety and peer relationships play in influencing students' mental health? and How are demographic variables related to social anxiety and peer relationships? In the period between 03/10/2023 - 25/10/2023. The research community consists of students in scientific and literary majors. According to the power analysis, the number of samples was determined to be no less than 218 students at the University of Baghdad. Data were collected using the face-to-face social and demographic model, the Social Phobia Inventory scale, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being scale, and the Arab Version of the Family Peer Relationship Questionnaire. Analysis was done using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, ANOVA, t test and Pearson test in SPSS 26. p ≥0.05 was accepted as the significance level. According to the research, the average age of the participants was 22.78±3.375 years and the majority of the participants were women. The average Social Phobia Inventory score of the participants was 36.08 ± 7.74, the average Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale score was 40.13 ± 10.01, and the peer relations subscale score of the Family-Adolescent Relations scale was 39.87 ± 5.01. A statistically significant difference was determined in the Social Phobia Inventory scores of the participants grouped by marital status and university education department and class. On the other hand, it was observed that there were statistically significant differences between the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scores of the participants grouped as gender, marital status, university education department and class. It was calculated that the peer relations subscale scores of the Family-Adolescent Relations scale, which are grouped according to gender, marital status, university department and grade, were statistically different. In the correlation analysis, it was determined that there was a negative relationship between social phobia score and peer relations and mental well-being. It was determined that all participants had social phobia, moderate interpersonal relationships and mental well-being. Being married, studying science, and being in the first grade increases social phobia. Having severe social phobia reduces mental well-being. Being of the same gender, being single, and studying in a literary department increases mental well-being. Peer relationships are better for women, single people, those studying in literary departments, and those in the fourth grade, regardless of age. Social phobia negatively affects both peer relationships and mental well-being. Having good peer relationships positively affects mental well-being.