The Social Phobia Inventory: Screening and Cross-Cultural Validation in Spanish Adolescents

• Published in: The Spanish journal of psychology 2010-11, Vol.13 (2), p.970-980
• Main Authors: Garcia-Lopez, Luis Joaquín, Bermejo, Rosa Mª, Hidalgo, Mª Dolores
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Americans; Anxiety; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Clinical psychology; Cognitive Therapy; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Fear & phobias; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Mass Screening - statistics & numerical data; Medical sciences; Mental health; Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data; Phobia; Phobic Disorders - diagnosis; Phobic Disorders - psychology; Phobic Disorders - therapy; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Social aspects; Social phobia; Spain; Techniques and methods; Teenagers; Translating; U.S.A; United States; Validity; Youth
• ISSN: 1138-7416; 1988-2904
• DOI: 10.1017/S1138741600002614

Availability of brief, self-report measures to be used as screening instruments is crucial to detect correctly youth with social anxiety disorder and therefore, reach those otherwise under-detected and under-treated. A previous study revealed that the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) was potentially an appropriate measure for screening social anxiety among US adolescents. However, there is a lack of information concerning its properties as a screening test in other cultures and languages. This is the main objective of this study, although further validity of the scale is provided as well. The sample consisted of 192 adolescents (a sample composed of 114 subjects with a principal diagnosis of social anxiety disorder; and a group consisting of 78 subjects with no diagnosis of social phobia). Results suggest that the Social Phobia Inventory has demonstrated good psychometric properties and indeed may be used as a screening tool in Spanish-speaking adolescents. Resulta crucial poder disponer de instrumentos de evaluación con un formato breve de cara a poder detectar correctamente a aquellos adolescentes con trastorno de ansiedad social que de otra manera no serían detectados, y por consiguiente, no recibirían tratamiento. Un estudio previo reveló que el Inventario de Fobia Social (Social Phobia Inventory, SPIN) era una medida potencialmente apropiada como criba o screening para detectar ansiedad social entre adolescentes estadounidenses. Sin embargo, hay una falta de información sobre sus propiedades psicométricas en otras lenguas y culturas. Éste es el principal objetivo de este estudio, aunque también se proporcionan nuevos datos sobre su validez. La muestra se compuso de 192 adolescentes (114 sujetos con un trastorno principal de trastorno de ansiedad social, y 78 sujetos sin este trastorno). Los resultados sugieren que el Inventario de Fobia Social ha confirmado sus propiedades psicométricas en población adolescente española, y puede ser usado como una herramienta de criba o screening.