Abstract
A study based on the National Co morbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) which consisted of 9,282 English speaking U.S. respondents found that panic attacks have a lifetime prevalence estimate of 22.7% (Kessler et al, 2006). The predictor variables of self-efficacy, social anxiety and personality types were chosen on the basis that they have been found to be significant in relation to individuals suffering from panic attacks in previous studies. This study looked at these variables collectively to determine if the same variables would correlate with strong anxious reactions in a non-clinical sample of undergraduate students (n=100). Independent samples t-test found a significant positive relationship between social anxiety and having a strong “anxious reaction”. A Pearson’s correlation also showed a significant negative relationship between self-efficacy and social anxiety (r = -.516, df = 98, p = <.01). Discussed is the relationship between self-efficacy, personality and social anxiety in relation to anxious reactions. This study also looks at relationships between these variables. Author keywords: Anxiety, self-efficacy