Development and factor analysis of a social anxiety inventory

Abstract

A social anxiety inventory composed of 166 items drawn from hierarchies and lists of items used in the treatment of social anxiety by behavior therapists across the United States was constructed and factor analyzed. The method of factor analysis involved a rotation to an orthogonal structure producing seven conceptually clear factors accounting for 43% of the variance. The factors were named as follows: (1) fear of disapproval or criticism by others, (2) fear of social assertiveness and visibility, (3) fear of confrontation and anger-expression, (4) fear of heterosexual contact, (5) fear of intimacy and interpersonal warmth, (6) fear of conflict with or rejection by parents, and (7) fear of interpersonal loss. A revised 100-item scale built around a core of items correlating highly with these factors was briefly described, and possible uses for the scale in behavioral research, assessment, and therapy were discussed.