The Social Interaction Phobia Scale: Continued Support for the Psychometric Validity of the SIPS Using Clinical and Non-clinical Samples

Authors

Alison R. Menatti, Ohio UniversityFollow
Justin W. Weeks, Ohio UniversityFollow
R. Nicholas Carleton, University of ReginaFollow
Amanda S. Morrison, Temple UniversityFollow
Richard G. Heimberg, Temple UniversityFollow
Debra A. Hope, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Carlos Blanco, Columbia UniversityFollow
Franklin R. Schneier, Columbia UniversityFollow
Michael R. Liebowitz, Columbia UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

5-2015

Citation

Journal of Anxiety Disorders 32 (May 2015), pp. 46–55.

doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2015.03.003

Comments

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. Used by permission.

Abstract

The present study sought to extend findings supporting the psychometric validity of a promising measure of social anxiety (SA) symptoms, the Social Interaction Phobia Scale (SIPS; Carleton et al., 2009). Analyses were conducted using three samples: social anxiety disorder (SAD) patients, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients, and healthy controls. SIPS scores of SAD patients demonstrated internal consistency and construct validity, and the previously demonstrated three-factor structure of the SIPS was replicated. Further, the SIPS total score uniquely predicted SA symptoms, and SIPS scores were significantly higher for SAD patients than GAD patients or controls. Two cutoff scores that discriminated SAD patients from GAD patients and from healthy controls were identified. The current study is the first to replicate the SIPS three-factor model in a large, treatment-seeking sample of SAD patients and establish a cutoff score discriminating SAD from GAD patients. Findings support the SIPS as a valid, SAD-specific assessment instrument.