title: Reliability and validity of the Fear of Intimacy Scale in China.
abstract: Participants in China (n = 343) and the United States (n = 283) completed measures to assess the reliability and validity of the Fear of Intimacy Scale (Descutner & Thelen, 1991) with a Chinese population. Internal consistency was strong in both cultures, and the factor structure was also similar between cultures, with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) identifying three-factor models in both samples. As evidence of convergent validity, the scale was positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with social support and self-esteem. There were gender differences between cultures, but low levels of femininity were predictive of fear of intimacy in both cultures. The influence of individualism and collectivism varied, with high levels of individualism more predictive of a fear of intimacy in China than in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, State University of New York College at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA.
authors.forename: Travis S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Ingersoll
authors.forename: Jill M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Norvilitis
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shuhua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Sheldon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tetewsky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002681:China; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010555:Personality Inventory; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012945:Social Values; D014481:United States