Social Interaction Anxiety Scale

{{short description|Self-report scale that measures distress when meeting and talking with others}}  {{Infobox diagnostic | name = Social Interaction Anxiety Scale | image = | alt = | caption = | pronounce = | purpose =measures social anxiety | test of = | based on = | synonyms = | reference_range = | calculator = | DiseasesDB =  | ICD10 =  | ICD9 = | ICDO = | MedlinePlus =  | eMedicine =  | MeshID = | OPS301 =  | LOINC =  }} {{Psychology sidebar}}

The '''Social Interaction Anxiety Scale''' ('''SIAS''') is a self-report scale that measures distress when meeting and talking with others <ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last1=Mattick|first1=R.P.|last2=Clarke|first2=J.C.|title=Development and validation of measures of social phobia scrutiny fear and social interaction anxiety|journal=Behaviour Research and Therapy|date=1998|volume=36|issue=4|pages=455–470|pmid=9670605|doi=10.1016/s0005-7967(97)10031-6}}</ref> that is widely used in clinical settings and among [[social anxiety]] researchers.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|title = Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of Two Short Forms of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale|journal = Assessment|date = 2014-06-01|issn = 1073-1911|pmid = 24497625|pages = 312–323|volume = 21|issue = 3|doi = 10.1177/1073191114521279|first1 = Allura L. Le|last1 = Blanc|first2 = Laura C.|last2 = Bruce|first3 = Richard G.|last3 = Heimberg|first4 = Debra A.|last4 = Hope|first5 = Carlos|last5 = Blanco|first6 = Franklin R.|last6 = Schneier|first7 = Michael R.|last7 = Liebowitz|s2cid = 15201843|url = http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1639&context=psychfacpub|url-access = subscription}}</ref> The measure assesses [[social anxiety disorder]], which is fear or anxiety about one or more social situations where the individual is subject to possible scrutiny.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5.|last = American Psychiatric Association|publisher = American Psychiatric Association|year = 2013|isbn = 978-0-89042-334-9}}</ref>

== Question breakdown, scoring and interpretation == Questions of the SIAS assess a client's fear of interacting in social situations, gauge emotional aspects of the anxiety response, and do not refer to social apprehensiveness or concern about others' opinions in a general sense.<ref name=":0" /> Though related, social interaction anxiety is different from social phobia which is defined as anxiety surrounding fear of being scrutinized in a social situation.<ref name=":2" />

The scale contains 15 items.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leary |first=Mark R. |date=February 1983 |title=Social Anxiousness: The Construct and Its Measurement |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4701_8 |journal=Journal of Personality Assessment |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=66–75 |doi=10.1207/s15327752jpa4701_8 |issn=0022-3891|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1">{{cite journal|last1=Safren|first1=S.A.|last2=Turk|first2=C.L.|last3=Heimerg|first3=R.G.|title=Factor structure of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale|journal=Behaviour Research and Therapy|date=1998|volume=36|issue=4|pages=443–453|pmid=9670604|doi=10.1016/s0005-7967(98)00032-1}}</ref> The client rates how much each item relates to them on a 5-point scale as follows:<ref name=":4" /> * '''0 points''': Not at all characteristic of me * '''1 point''': Slightly characteristic of me * '''2 points''': Moderately characteristic of me * '''3 points''': Very characteristic of me * '''4 points''': Extremely characteristic of me

The point values of the chosen answer choices are then summed to produce a total measure score.

Sample items include "I worry about not knowing what to say in social situations" or "I am tense mixing in a group".<ref name=":6" />

== Clinical use == The SIAS measures social interaction anxiety, which refers to distress when meeting and talking with other people, whether they be friends, members of the opposite sex, or strangers.<ref name=":0" /> The main concerns include fears of being inarticulate, sounding boring, sounding stupid, not knowing what to say or how to respond, and being ignored.<ref name=":0" /> The scale specifically assesses anxiety experienced while interacting with others, not social phobia, which is more specifically fear of scrutiny when performing a task or being observed by others.<ref name=":1" /> The SIAS is similar to the Social Phobia Scale (SPS), a measure that mores specifically assesses social phobia.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> However, though the measure is not created to measure social phobia specifically, those with social phobia score high on the SIAS as social phobia and social interaction anxiety are related.

The measure is able to discriminate between a normal population and a population that experiences social interaction anxiety, giving it substantial clinical utility.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|title = Validation of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale across the anxiety disorder|journal = Psychological Assessment|pages = 21–27|volume = 9|issue = 1|doi = 10.1037/1040-3590.9.1.21|first1 = Elissa J.|last1 = Brown|first2 = Julia|last2 = Turovsky|first3 = Richard G.|last3 = Heimberg|first4 = Harlan R.|last4 = Juster|first5 = et|last5 = al|year = 1997}}</ref> It can be used in clinics as a self-report screening tool in order to see if clients possess any social interaction anxiety. The SIAS discriminates between social anxiety and general anxiety as it has low associations with trait anxiety (a level of stress associated with an individual personality) and general distress.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|journal = Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment|pages = 249–264|volume = 20|issue = 3|doi = 10.1023/a:1023067302227|first1 = Augustine|last1 = Osman|first2 = Peter M.|last2 = Gutierrez|first3 = Francisco X.|last3 = Barrios|first4 = Beverly A.|last4 = Kopper|first5 = Christine E.|last5 = Chiros|year = 1998|s2cid = 140760723}}</ref> Beyond identifying those who experience social anxiety of some form, the scale can discriminate within the [[social anxiety]] class as well.<ref name=":0" /> Patients with [[Social Phobia|social phobia]] score higher on the SIAS than other patients with another anxiety disorder, such as [[generalized anxiety disorder]], or no disorder.<ref name=":2" /> In addition, patients with [[panic disorder]] and [[agoraphobia]] score higher than patients with [[specific phobia]].<ref name=":2" />

== Reliability and validity == The SIAS has a [[normal distribution]] of scores, with those that experience social interaction anxiety scoring high, supporting the view that the scale identifies general fear regarding social interactions.<ref name=":0" />

=== Reliability === Evaluated through [[Cronbach's alpha]], the SIAS demonstrates high levels of [[internal consistency]],<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|title = Short Forms of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale|journal = Journal of Personality Assessment|date = 2012-05-01|issn = 0022-3891|pmid = 22369684|pages = 310–320|volume = 94|issue = 3|doi = 10.1080/00223891.2012.660291|first1 = Thomas A.|last1 = Fergus|first2 = David P.|last2 = Valentiner|first3 = Patrick B.|last3 = McGrath|first4 = Stephanie L.|last4 = Gier-Lonsway|first5 = Hyun-Soo|last5 = Kim|s2cid = 39226866}}</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|url = https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1919&context=psychfacpub|title = Assessment of anxiety in social interaction and being observed by others: The social interaction anxiety scale and the social phobia scale|last = Heimberg|first = Richard G|date = 1992|journal = Behavior Therapy|volume = 23|pages = 53–73|doi = 10.1016/S0005-7894(05)80308-9|url-access = subscription}}</ref> meaning that different items on the test are correlated. In addition, the scale has high test-retest reliability, as it continues to correctly identify social anxiety and phobia after a period of time has passed.<ref name=":0" />

=== Validity === The scale has high [[discriminant validity]];<ref name=":6" /> not only is it able to discriminate between those with social phobia and healthy volunteers,<ref name=":5" /> but also between several different types of social phobia and anxiety.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" /> The SIAS is significantly correlated with the Social Phobia Scale (SPS), consistent with the observation that social interaction fears and social phobia scrutiny fears co-exist,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> although they are still two different sets of symptoms.<ref name=":2" /> It is strongly related to other related measures of social anxiety and social phobia,<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> including the [[Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale]] (LSAS),<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Mini Social Phobia Inventory (mini-SPIN),<ref name=":4" /> Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE),<ref name=":4" /> the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale (FPES),<ref name=":4" /> and the Interaction Anxiousness Scale.<ref name=":5" /> In addition, there are moderate to high correlations between the SIAS and other scales testing [[fear]], [[Depression (mood)|depression]], and [[locus of control]], which are all related to social anxiety.<ref name=":0" />

In addition, the SIAS responds to change and improvement in symptoms due to treatment.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" />

== Limitations == Although the SIAS is used widely in clinical psychology, it is not without its limitations. Because the scale is self-report subjects are able to falsify responses in order to be socially desirable.<ref name=":0" /> In addition, most items of the scale are scored in the same direction, allowing room for [[response bias]].<ref name=":0" /> It is also difficult to discriminate between the fears of someone who experiences [[social anxiety]] and the more general worries of a patient with [[generalized anxiety disorder]], as patients who suffer from both disorders score higher on the SIAS than those with just social phobias.<ref name=":2" />

The SIAS is highly correlated with the SPS, suggesting that subjects from the community may not discriminate between the types of situations assessed in the two scales.<ref name=":5" /> However, this limitation is not present among undergraduates or patients with [[Social Phobia|social phobia]].<ref name=":5" />

The SIAS has not been adequately assessed among an African American population, which is necessary as some concerns addressed in the SIAS may be more related to perceived scrutiny associated with being a member of a minority group.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Psychometric properties of the social phobia and social interaction anxiety scales: Evidence of construct equivalence in an African American sample|journal = Journal of Anxiety Disorders|pages = 633–643|volume = 28|issue = 7|doi = 10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.07.003|pmid = 25124500|first1 = Michele M.|last1 = Carter|first2 = Tracy|last2 = Sbrocco|first3 = Dickson|last3 = Tang|first4 = Frances M.|last4 = Rekrut|first5 = Caitlin|last5 = Condit|year = 2014}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Personality tests]] [[Category:Anxiety self-report inventories]]