Generalized social phobia versus avoidant personality disorder: differences in psychopathology, personality traits, and social and occupational functioning

Four groups of patients with social phobia (SP) were compared with regard to psychopathologic characteristics, personality traits, and social and occupational functioning. Fifteen persons with discrete social phobia without any personality disorder (DSP), 28 persons with generalized social phobia (GSP) without any personality disorder, 24 persons with GSP with a single diagnosis of avoidant personality disorder (APD), and 23 persons with GSP with more than one PD were included in the present study. APD had higher levels of social phobic avoidance, depressive symptoms, neuroticism, introversion, and social and occupational impairment as compared with GSP. DSP was found to be the least severe condition. OPD was the most impaired on nearly all variables. Logistic regression analyses revealed that introversion and depressive symptoms were able to predict correctly the presence or absence of an APD in 85% of those with social phobia. These findings are discussed in the light of the severity continuum hypothesis of social phobia and APD and recommendations for future research are given.