Social Anxiety and Self-Compassion in Persons with Alcohol Use Disorders in Ghana

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue I, January 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Social Anxiety and Self-Compassion in Persons with Alcohol Use Disorders in Ghana

Marie Pearl Agordzo^1*, Joseph Kwarteng Ofosuhene-Mensah², Kofi Krafona³ and George Ekem-Ferguson^4
1,2,3 Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
⁴Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Accra-Ghana
Corresponding Author*

Abstract: Alcohol use disorder is a condition that develops as a result of problematic alcohol use. The study examined the relationship between social anxiety and self-compassion among persons with alcohol use disorder in the three main psychiatric hospitals and an alcohol rehabilitation centre in Ghana. The study employed a correlational design and used purposive sampling in obtaining its participants. Sixty participants were involved in the study and Frequencies and Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that social anxiety was highly prevalent among participants and moderate level of self-compassion was observed. A highly significant inverse relationship between social anxiety and self-compassion was also found. The sample size and the use of an adapted version of the self-compassion scale are considered limitations for the study. Also, persons with alcohol use disorders in the study were addicted to at least one other psychoactive substance and this was also considered a limitation of the study.

Keywords: Alcohol use disorder, social anxiety, self-compassion.

I. INTRODUCTION

Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that has benefits which cannot be overemphasized. Its use cuts across gender, culture and race with its medicinal value reported (Stolberg, 2006). Even though the benefits of alcohol have been acknowledged (Dunbar, Launay, Wlodarski, Robertson, Pearce, Carney et. al., 2016), its harmful effects have also been documented. The harmful effects of alcohol have been implicated in every 1 out 20 deaths in 2016 and more than 5% of the global disease burden (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2018). In Ghana, it has been estimated that about 1.2 million people suffer from alcohol and other drug related problems (Ofori-Atta, Read & Lund, 2010).
Alcohol use disorder has been defined by Kranzler and Soyka (2018) as a problematic pattern of compulsive and uncontrolled alcohol use associated with clinically significant impairment or distress as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders V (DSM V). The DSM V spells out eleven criteria and requires that a person meets at least two out of these eleven criteria to merit the diagnosis of alcohol use disorder. However, the severity of the condition depends on number of criteria the person meets (APA, 2013).

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