The factor structure and screening utility of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale.
The widely used Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS; R. P. Mattick & J. C. Clarke, 1998) possesses favorable psychometric properties, but questions remain concerning its factor structure and item properties. Analyses included 445 people with social anxiety disorder and 1,689 undergraduates. Simple unifactorial models fit poorly, and models that accounted for differences due to item wording (i.e., reverse scoring) provided superior fit. It was further found that clients and undergraduates approached some items differently, and the SIAS may be somewhat overly conservative in selecting analogue participants from an undergraduate sample. Overall, this study provides support for the excellent properties of the SIAS's straightforwardly worded items, although questions remain regarding its reverse-scored items.
Rodebaugh
Thomas L
TL
Adult Anxiety Clinic, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. rodebaugh@wustl.edu
Woods
Carol M
CM
Heimberg
Richard G
RG
Liebowitz
Michael R
MR
Schneier
Franklin R
FR
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires