Social anxiety disorder in childhood and adolescents: current trends, advances, and future directions

The reviews of recent literature in the field reveal a significant growth in the number of research studies on social anxiety disorder (SAD) in children and adolescents. However, there is a lack of information and on-going debates on different issues related to this disorder. This paper presents a look ahead toward critical steps to extend our knowledge and improve the understanding of this disorder. In particular, this paper reviews the nature of social anxiety symptoms as well as etiological explanations for the disorder. Additionally, the issue of evidence-based assessment and treatment of SAD is discussed, with a particular focus on cognitive-behavioral interventions. We conclude with a discussion of future directions for the field.