Clinical validation of a non-heteronormative version of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS)

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Per Carlbring²  Gerhard Andersson¹  Jan Bergström²  Christopher Martell³  Philip Lindner⁴ 

[1] Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Psychology, Linköping University, Stockholm, Sweden;Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden;Martell Behavioral Activation Research Consulting and Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA;Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska, Sweden

关键词: Psychometric;    Social Interaction Anxiety Scale;    Heteronormativity;   

Others  :  821984
DOI  :  10.1186/1477-7525-11-209

 received in 2013-05-27, accepted in 2013-12-12,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Introduction

Despite welcomed changes in societal attitudes and practices towards sexual minorities, instances of heteronormativity can still be found within healthcare and research. The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) is a valid and reliable self-rating scale of social anxiety, which includes one item (number 14) with an explicit heteronormative assumption about the respondent´s sexual orientation. This heteronormative phrasing may confuse, insult or alienate sexual minority respondents. A clinically validated version of the SIAS featuring a non-heteronormative phrasing of item 14 is thus needed.

Methods

129 participants with diagnosed social anxiety disorder, enrolled in an Internet-based intervention trial, were randomly assigned to responding to the SIAS featuring either the original or a novel non-heteronormative phrasing of item 14, and then answered the other item version. Within-subject, correlation between item versions was calculated and the two scores were statistically compared. The two items’ correlations with the other SIAS items and other psychiatric rating scales were also statistically compared.

Results

Item versions were highly correlated and scores did not differ statistically. The two items’ correlations with other measures did not differ statistically either.

Conclusions

The SIAS can be revised with a non-heteronormative formulation of item 14 with psychometric equivalence on item and scale level. Implications for other psychiatric instruments with heteronormative phrasings are discussed.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Lindner et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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