title: A Review of Scales to Measure Social Anxiety Disorder in Clinical and Epidemiological Studies.
abstract: To advance research into social anxiety disorder (SAD) and provide efficacious treatments for individuals with SAD, researchers and clinicians must have effective assessment instruments for identifying the disorder in terms of its diagnostic criteria, symptoms, and the presence of specific maintaining factors. This review highlights the main lines of existing adult and youth research on scales that form part of diagnostic instruments that assess SAD, scales that measure social anxiety symptoms, and scales that measure theory-based psychological maintaining factors associated with SAD. The review also highlights methodological issues that impact on the use of the aforementioned scales. The continued refinement and comparative evaluation of measures for SAD, culminating in the ascertainment of optimal measures, will improve the assessment and identification of the disorder. Improved identification of the disorder will contribute to the advancement of SAD research and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. quincy.wong@mq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Quincy J J
authors.initials: QJ
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Bree
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gregory
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Lauren F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: McLellan
mesh_terms: D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005239:Fear; D006801:Humans; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
keywords: Assessment; Measures; Psychometric; Social anxiety; Social anxiety disorder; Social phobia