title: The German Version of the Gaze Anxiety Rating Scale (GARS): Reliability and Validity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fear of eye gaze and avoidance of eye contact are core features of social anxiety disorders (SAD). To measure self-reported fear and avoidance of eye gaze, the Gaze Anxiety Rating Scale (GARS) has been developed and validated in recent years in its English version. The main objectives of the present study were to psychometrically evaluate the German translation of the GARS concerning its reliability, factorial structure, and validity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three samples of participants were enrolled in the study. (1) A non-patient sample (n = 353) completed the GARS and a set of trait questionnaires to assess internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factorial structure, and concurrent and divergent validity. (2) A sample of patients with SAD (n = 33) was compared to a healthy control group (n = 30) regarding their scores on the GARS and the trait measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The German GARS fear and avoidance scales exhibited excellent internal consistency and high stability over 2 and 4 months, as did the original version. The English version's factorial structure was replicated, yielding two categories of situations: (1) everyday situations and (2) situations involving high evaluative threat. GARS fear and avoidance displayed convergent validity with trait measures of social anxiety and were markedly higher in patients with GSAD than in healthy controls. Fear and avoidance of eye contact in situations involving high levels of evaluative threat related more closely to social anxiety than to gaze anxiety in everyday situations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The German version of the GARS has demonstrated reliability and validity similar to the original version, and is thus well suited to capture fear and avoidance of eye contact in different social situations as a valid self-report measure of social anxiety and related disorders in the social domain for use in both clinical practice and research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Laboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Domes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Laboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Laboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Spenthof
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Laboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heinrichs
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012438:Saccades; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires