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Social Phobia Inventory
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About Social Phobia Inventory
Scale Name
Social Phobia Inventory
Author Details
Kathryn M. Connor, Jonathan R. T. Davidson, L. Elizabeth Churchill, Allison Sherwood
Translation Availability
Not Sure
Background/Description
Social anxiety, a crippling fear of social situations, affects millions worldwide. But understanding and treating this condition requires accurate assessment. Enter the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), a valuable tool developed in the late 1990s to assess and track social anxiety symptoms.
In 2000, a dedicated team led by Dr. Kathryn M. Connor of Duke University embarked on crafting a reliable and efficient measure. Collaborating with renowned experts like Dr. Jonathan Davidson and Dr. L. Elizabeth Churchill, they envisioned a self-assessment tool that captured the core of social anxiety: fear, avoidance, and physical distress.
Their efforts led to the creation of the 17-item SPIN. Each statement delves into specific social situations, like public speaking or eating in public, asking respondents to rate their discomfort on a scale. This simple yet insightful design provided a snapshot of an individual’s struggle with social anxiety, covering crucial aspects like:
- Fear of scrutiny and negative evaluation: Does the thought of others judging their actions spark intense anxiety?
- Behavioral avoidance: How often do they actively avoid social situations to escape discomfort?
- Physical symptoms: Do they experience tremors, blushing, or dizziness in social settings?
The SPIN’s introduction was met with significant praise. Its brevity and ease of administration made it ideal for clinical settings and research studies. Extensive validation studies confirmed its accuracy in identifying individuals with social anxiety disorder, differentiating them from those without.
Beyond its diagnostic potential, the SPIN proved valuable in monitoring treatment progress. By capturing changes in scores over time, clinicians could gauge the effectiveness of therapy and make adjustments accordingly.
Thus, the SPIN emerged as a powerful weapon in the fight against social anxiety. Its straightforward approach, backed by solid research, provided clinicians and researchers with a reliable tool to understand and address this debilitating condition.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Setting the stage: Choose a quiet, private space where the individual taking the SPIN feels comfortable and free from distractions.
- Informed consent: Ensure the individual provides informed consent, understanding the purpose of the SPIN and how their data will be used.
- Instructions and clarification: Clearly explain the instructions, emphasizing the rating scale (0-4) and the timeframe (“past week”). Encourage them to answer honestly based on their actual experiences.
- Statement by statement: Read each statement aloud slowly and clearly, ensuring the individual comprehends it.
- Rating it up: After each statement, ask the individual to rate their discomfort level on the 0-4 scale, where 0 signifies “not at all” and 4 indicates “extremely.”
- Clarifying doubts: If they seem unsure about a specific statement, provide brief clarification without influencing their response.
Reliability and Validity
The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) has established itself as a reliable and valid tool for assessing social anxiety disorder. But what exactly do these terms mean, and how does the SPIN stack up? Let’s delve deeper:
- Internal consistency: This refers to how consistently the items within the SPIN measure the same underlying construct – social anxiety. Extensive research demonstrates the SPIN’s strong internal consistency, with high Cronbach’s alpha values exceeding 0.90, indicating consistent and reliable measurement.
- Test-retest reliability: This assesses the stability of the SPIN scores over time. Studies have shown that individuals’ SPIN scores remain relatively stable over days and weeks, demonstrating the consistency of the measure.
- Content validity: This ensures the SPIN items adequately cover the key aspects of social anxiety disorder. The SPIN’s development involved input from experts and individuals with social anxiety, ensuring it captures the core features of the condition.
- Construct validity: This examines whether the SPIN measures what it’s supposed to measure – social anxiety. The SPIN shows strong correlations with other established measures of social anxiety, such as the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), supporting its validity.
- Criterion validity: This assesses how well the SPIN discriminates between people with and without social anxiety disorder. Numerous studies have shown that the SPIN effectively distinguishes between these groups, demonstrating its diagnostic validity.
Available Versions
17-Items
Reference
Connor, K. M., Davidson, J. R., Churchill, L. E., Sherwood, A., Weisler, R. H., & Foa, E. (2000). Psychometric properties of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN): New self-rating scale. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 176(4), 379-386.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is it?
Self-test for social anxiety (fear of social situations). 17 statements, quick & easy to take (10-15 mins).
What does it measure?
Fear, avoidance of social situations, and physical discomfort. Scores range from 0-68, higher scores suggest more severe anxiety.
Who uses it?
Clinicians, researchers, and individuals for self-awareness. Available in adult and adolescent versions.
Reliable & valid?
Yes, strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Validates well against other social anxiety measures.
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