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The validity of the brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale
Abstract
The Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale [FNE; J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 33 (1969) 448] is a commonly used measure of social anxiety. A brief version of the scale (FNEB) is available for convenient administration. Despite being widely advocated for use, the psychometric properties of the FNEB have not been evaluated with clinically anxious samples. The present study addressed the reliability and validity of the FNEB in a clinical sample of individuals with either social phobia (n = 82) or panic disorder (n = 99) presenting for treatment. Factor analysis supported the construct validity of the FNEB. The validity of the FNEB was further demonstrated through significant correlations with social avoidance and depression, and non-significant correlations with agoraphobic avoidance and demographic variables. The scale obtained excellent inter-item reliability (alpha = .97) and 2-week test-retest reliability (r = .94). Discriminant function analysis also supported validity of the FNEB. For example, individuals with social phobia scored significantly higher on the FNEB than those with panic disorder and a group of non-psychiatric community controls (n = 30). The FNEB was sensitive to pre- to post-CBT changes in both social anxiety and panic disorder, and changes on the FNEB correlated significantly with other measures of treatment responsiveness, such as reductions in somatic arousal, depression and other anxiety symptomatology. These research findings strongly support the validity of the FNEB and its clinical utility as an outcome measure in social anxiety treatment.
... These complex sets of cognitive abilities are a source of behavioral phenotypes among the human population. Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder like behaviors are considered as impaired cognitive abilities if they persist with a particular person for a long time [5] . A complicated neural network processes various stimuli, its related neural signals and required behavioral outcomes, which are reflected as mental health of a person. ...
... One in seven teenagers globally, experiences a mental health issues at an early age of 10-19-years [20] . Unsurprisingly, the issue has attracted attention of psychologists [12] and neuroscientists [13] to understand the genesis & etiology of mental disorders to address the problem as it relates to sensitive population of teenagers [5] [12] . ...
... Negative Evaluation Scale is widely used to assess various dimensions of social-evaluation that leads to development of anxiety traits for example, distress, avoidance, expectations [5]. BFNE is a brief version of FNE (FNEB; Leary, 1983) containing 12 items from the original 30 item-scale. ...
... In all studies, learning of social evaluations was measured using a two-alternative forced choice probabilistic learning task (Fig. 1, task characteristics are outlined in SI Study characteristics). We measured depression severity with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) 40 and social anxiety with the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) 41 . Next, we assessed the reliability of our findings in a new dataset ('Preregistered' Dataset). ...
... We measured social anxiety using the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) 56 . The BFNE is a 12-item measure of fear or worries in social contexts and has been validated for use in community and clinical samples 41,57 . Average PHQ scores, as reported in Table 1, were higher compared to representative studies in US samples 58 and a higher amount of participants met cut-off criteria for major depressive disorder (Mega-analysis: 20.9%, Pre-registered: 25.3% at a cut-off score ≥ 10 where 10 is typically reported as the 95th percentile). ...
Processing social feedback optimistically may maintain positive self-beliefs and stable social relationships. Conversely, a lack of this optimistic bias in depression and social anxiety may perpetuate negative self-beliefs and maintain symptoms. Research investigating this mechanism is scarce, however, and the mechanisms by which depressed and socially anxious individuals respond to social evaluation may also differ. Using a range of computational approaches in two large datasets (mega-analysis of previous studies, n = 450; pre-registered replication study, n = 807), we investigated how depression (PHQ-9) and social anxiety (BFNE) symptoms related to social evaluation learning in a computerized task. Optimistic bias (better learning of positive relative to negative evaluations) was found to be negatively associated with depression and social anxiety. Structural equation models suggested this reflected a heightened sensitivity to negative social feedback in social anxiety, whereas in depression it co-existed with a blunted response to positive social feedback. Computational belief-based learning models further suggested that reduced optimism was driven by less positive trait-like self-beliefs in both depression and social anxiety, with some evidence for a general blunting in belief updating in depression. Recognizing such transdiagnostic similarities and differences in social evaluation learning across disorders may inform approaches to personalizing treatment.
... However, conceptual models of social anxiety have viewed fear of negative evaluation as a central component of social anxiety (Clark & Wells, 1995;(Culler, & Holahan, 1980). Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Anxiety in Social Phobia views fear of negative evaluation as the primary fear of an individual when she/he is in a social evaluative situation (Collins, Westra, Dozois, & Stewart, 2005). Collins, et al, 2005) Opined that these fears exist for persons with social anxiety in any situation where an audience exists; the term "audience" denoting not only a group of intentional observers, but also anyone who may be in a position to evaluate the individual's appearance, behaviour, or mannerisms. ...
... Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Anxiety in Social Phobia views fear of negative evaluation as the primary fear of an individual when she/he is in a social evaluative situation (Collins, Westra, Dozois, & Stewart, 2005). Collins, et al, 2005) Opined that these fears exist for persons with social anxiety in any situation where an audience exists; the term "audience" denoting not only a group of intentional observers, but also anyone who may be in a position to evaluate the individual's appearance, behaviour, or mannerisms. Fear of negative evaluation was first examined as a correlate of social anxiety by Watson and Friend (1969), and since has been correlated with other disorders, including depression (Cox, Clara, Sareen, & Stein, 2008) and eating disorders (Chen, (2002) nevertheless, there is still a paucity of studies examining whether fear of negative evaluation is related to social evaluative situations. ...
The study investigated social intelligence and assertiveness as predictors of fear of negative evaluation among ESUT lecturers, eighty (80) lecturers comprising 49 males and 31 females with a mean age of 40.86 and SD 6.454 were selected using multi-stage (cluster, simple random: by balloting and purposive) sampling techniques as participants from Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu. Watson and Friend (1969) Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE), Silvera et al. (2001) Tromso Social Intelligence Scale and Rathus, (1978) Assertiveness Scale were used for data collection, a correlational design was adopted, hierarchical multiple regression using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 27 was used for data analysis. Findings revealed that social skill dimension of social intelligence Stβ= .294 and t=3.563** at p<.001 negatively predicted fear of negative evaluation of ESUT lecturers, Social awareness dimension of social intelligence Stβ=-.385 and t= 4.775*** at p<.001 negatively predicted fear of negative evaluation of ESUT lecturers. Social awareness dimension of social intelligence Stβ= .095 and t=1.077 at p<.05 did not predict fear of negative evaluation. Assertive Stβ= 040 and t= .498 did not predict fear of negative evaluation at p< .05. Hence, Lecturers should perceive the lecturing process as an interactive one were both lecturers and the students learn from each other, this will help to reduce over expectations and fear of negative evaluation.
... 26,27 FNES is a commonly used test to assess FNE. 28 Cognitive flexibility is the ability to appropriately adjust one's behavior according to a changing environment. 29,30 Cognitive flexibility allows individuals to work efficiently, to disengage from a previous task, reconfigure a new response set, and implement this new response set to the task at hand. ...
... FNE means the degree to which people experience apprehension at the prospect of being evaluated negatively. 28 Subjects with a higher FNE work harder on boring tasks when they believe the work will be explicitly approved by others 26 and prefer to be in a positive asymmetrical relationship-where they are liked by another more than they like the other individual-rather than a balanced relationship. 38 For experienced endoscopists, adenoma or polyp detection may be tedious, and it is possible that endoscopists with higher FNES work harder for adenoma detection and are more concerned about their relationship with the chief of each endoscopy unit compared to those with lower FNES. ...
Background/aims:
This study investigated whether the personality traits of endoscopists are associated with the effect of interventions for the improvement of colonoscopy quality.
Methods:
This prospective, multicenter, single-blind study was performed with 13 endoscopists in three health screening centers over a 12-month period. Quality indicators (QIs), including adenoma detection rate (ADR), polyp detection rate (PDR), and withdrawal time, were measured every 3 months. Consecutive interventions for the improvement of colonoscopy quality were conducted every 3 months, which included the personal notification of QIs, the in-group notification of QIs, and finally a targeted "quality education" session. The personality traits of each endoscopist were evaluated for perfectionism, fear of negative evaluation, and cognitive flexibility after the last QI assessment.
Results:
A total of 4,095 colonoscopies were evaluated to measure the QIs of the individual endoscopists for 12 months. The mean ADR, PDR, and withdrawal time of the 13 endoscopists were 32.3%, 47.7%, and 394 seconds at baseline and increased to 39.0%, 55.1%, and 430 seconds by the end of the study (p=0.003, p=0.006, and p=0.004, respectively). Among the three interventions, only quality education significantly improved QIs: ADR, 36.0% to 39.0% (odds ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.63). The improvement of ADR and PDR by education was significantly associated with perfectionism (r=0.617, p=0.033 and r=0.635, p=0.027, respectively) and fear of negative evaluation (r=0.704, p=0.011 and r=0.761, p=0.004, respectively).
Conclusions:
Education can improve colonoscopy quality, and its effect size is associated with an endoscopist's personal traits such as perfectionism and fear of negative evaluation (Clinical-Trials.gov Registry NCT03796169).
... The upper and lower end anchors of the scale remained the same. The Brief-FNE was found to be a valid and reliable instrument (Collins et al., 2005;Rodebaugh et al., 2004). In our study, the internal consistency of the questionnaire was good at all grades, with Cronbach's α ranging from .87 to .89 ...
... In our community sample, the mean scores on Fear of Negative Evaluation ranged between 41.15 and 41.95 across grades. A previous study looking at a clinical sample of individuals with social phobia showed a mean score of FNE of 51.5(Collins et al., 2005).15327795, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jora.12833 by Utrecht University Library, Wiley Online Library on [10/02/2023]. ...
This study investigated the longitudinal bidirectional associations between likeability, popularity, fear of negative evaluation, and social avoidance, to aid in preventing the negative consequences and persistent trajectories of low social status and heightened social anxiety. In total, 1741 adolescents in grades 7–9 participated at 3 yearly waves. A self‐report questionnaire measured fear of negative evaluation. Peer nominations assessed likeability, popularity, and social avoidance. Lower popularity predicted more avoidance, and vice versa. More avoidance was related to lower likeability over time. Being less popular and/or more liked by peers, increased fear of negative evaluation. Support for a transactional model between social anxiety and social status was found, but distinguishing different social status and social anxiety components is necessary.
... Higher scores indicate greater fear of negative evaluation. The BFNE demonstrates good construct and discriminant validity comparable reliability to the original measure (Collins et al., 2005). ...
Social media applications such as Instagram are tremendously popular, and there has been a parallel increase in the prevalence of cosmetic modification. Researchers have recently started to examine the potential association between these phenomena. The current study explored whether Instagram following was related to acceptance of cosmetic modification, with an emphasis on individual differences between cosmetically modified and nonmodified participants. Participants (N = 311, 268 female, 26 male, seven nongender specific) aged 18–68 completed an online survey battery. Instagram following was not correlated with acceptance of cosmetic modification. Cosmetically modified individuals, however, had a higher number of Instagram followers. Cosmetically modified individuals also exhibited greater acceptance of cosmetic modification and reported greater self-acceptance than nonmodified individuals. Considering the association found between Instagram following and cosmetic modification, there is a need for greater awareness of the mental and physical effects of Instagram use and engagement in cosmetic modification. The findings are discussed in the context of conflicting research arising central to this topic. The results broadly have wide implications for users, parents of adolescent users, and clinicians; thus, advocating for a developmental framework around body image issues and social media use is advised.
... Higher scores indicated a greater fear of negative evaluation. The scale has concurrent and discriminant validity and acceptable internal consistency, α =0.97 (Collins et al., 2005) consistent with this study, ω =0.94. ...
... The psychological construct of fear of negative evaluation can be characterized as circumscribing a "broad social evaluative anxiety," (Collins, Westra, Dozois & Stewart, 2005). More specifically, it is involved with a feeling of unease, or in the extreme, a sense of overwhelming apprehension, at being evaluated in an unfavorable or critical manner in social situations (Weeks et al., 2005). ...
This measurement study examined the construct validity of the Short Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (Sasagawa et al., 2004), as well as variants of the scale proposed by Nihei et al. (2018), in a sample of Japanese university-level English learners (N = 411) from three universities in Western Japan. Confirmatory factor analysis of a unidimensional model of the Short Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale revealed poor fit between the model and the scores in the dataset. A two-factor model, with the four reverse-scored items specified to load on a separate factor displayed an adequate degree of fit, suggesting that the scale, as proposed by Sasagawa et al., is not unidimensional. A one-factor model of the eight straightforward items, proposed by Nihei et al. was also tested, and the model showed an inadequate degree of fit. Examination of areas of ill-fit in this model indicated the possibility of content overlap between two closely worded items (Items 2 and 5). Diagnostic models lacking these two items showed an excellent degree of fit, suggesting a scale without one of the items could serve as a potentially valid measure of fear of negative evaluation in the target population.
... During this first meeting, supervisors can train supervisees on giving and receiving feedback as well as introduce discussion tools. The Corrective Feedback Instrument-Revised (CFI-R; Hulse-Killacky & Page, 1994;Hulse-Killacky et al., 2006) or the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Inventory II (Collins et al., 2005) are two such tools. For supervisory purposes, we find the CFI-R to be a much more detailed discussion starter. ...
Corrective feedback can be a difficult endeavor in supervision. This article focuses on the following six principles of humanistic education that can facilitate corrective feedback: a nonthreatening environment, affective bias, self‐evaluation, connectedness, self‐determination, and personal growth orientation. These principles offer a framework for providing culturally sensitive supervision and corrective feedback. Implications for counseling supervision are included.
... Fear of negative evaluation is a typical issue of social communication that manifests as apprehension about others' evaluations, distress over their negative evaluations, avoidance of evaluative situations, and the anticipation that others would evaluate oneself negatively (Watson and Friend, 1969;Collins et al., 2005;Ng et al., 2014). The cognitive model of SA posits that the fear of negative evaluation serves as an important integral component of the cognitive aspects of SA (Weeks et al., 2008;Heimberg et al., 2010). ...
Background
Social anxiety (SA) is prevalent among individuals with drug use disorders, playing a significant role in the etiology and maintenance of drug addiction. The etiological model of SA suggests a link between the development of SA and childhood maltreatment. Childhood maltreatment not only acts as a complex trauma with negative effects on individuals’ selves and other cognitions but also exerts a negative influence through early negative parent–child interactions on individuals’ internal working models, leading to the development of fear of negative evaluation and SA. Furthermore, self-construals, as a personality trait that emerges from the framework of the theory of sociocultural models, may exert a moderating effect on these mechanisms. The present study utilized a moderated mediation model to examine how childhood maltreatment relates to SA in individuals with drug addiction, aiming to provide support for a comprehensive understanding and effective resolution of SA in this group.
Methods
A total of 618 Chinese male individuals with drug addiction (M = 34.13, SD = 8.76) participated, and they completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form, the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, the Self-Consciousness Scale’s Social Anxiety Subscale, and the Self-Construal Scale. SPSS PROCESS Macro was used to analyze the data.
Result
Correlation analysis revealed weak correlations among all variables but strong correlations between the SCS subscales. Mediation analyses revealed that fear of negative evaluation partially mediated the association between childhood maltreatment and SA. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that the link between fear of negative evaluation and SA was moderated by independent self-construal. The association was stronger among those with high independent self-construal than among those with low independent self-construal. An integrative moderated mediation analysis indicated that independent self-construal positively moderated the indirect association between childhood maltreatment and SA via fear of negative evaluation. However, interdependent self-construal did not show a moderated effect.
Conclusion
Fear of negative evaluation plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and SA, while independent self-construal enhances the association between fear of negative evaluation and SA. Decreasing the fear of negative evaluation and intervening in self-construals may attenuate the association between childhood maltreatment and SA among Chinese male individuals with drug addiction.
... Participants had to meet the criteria for social phobia (DSM-IV) or social anxiety disorder (DSM-5) or score high on validated self-reports of either symptoms of social anxiety or public speaking anxiety, for example, the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE) (12) and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) (13). These instruments have high internal consistency and test-retest reliability (13,14). ...
Introduction
Social anxiety is common and can have far-reaching implications for affected individuals, both on social life and working performance. Usage of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has gained traction. The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the effect of stand-alone VRET on social anxiety symptoms.
Method
We searched systematically in PubMed, Embase, PSYCinfo, and ERIC in May 2022 for studies with participants with social anxiety symptoms receiving stand-alone VRET. Two reviewers independently selected relevant studies in a two-step procedure, and the risk of bias was assessed.
Results
Of 158 hits, 7 studies were selected for full-text reading, 6 were chosen for evaluation, and 5 were included in meta-analyses. VRET resulted in a significantly lower anxiety score in treated individuals with a standard mean difference of −0.82, 95% confidence interval –1.52 to –0.13, compared to controls.
Conclusion
Stand-alone VRET may reduce social anxiety symptoms. However, despite promising results, there is still uncertainty as the effect estimate is based on few studies with few participants each and a high risk of bias.
... This fear is defined as anxiety because of thinking that the individual will be evaluated negatively by others (Leary, 1983). Fear of 2 | TOPRAK ET AL. negative evaluation is a risk factor for psychological issues (e.g., Carleton et al., 2007;Carleton et al., 2011;Collins et al., 2005;Wang et al., 2012;Wells et al., 1995;Wolniewicz et al., 2018). Negative parental attitudes can also predict fear of negative evaluation (e.g., Carr et al., 2021). ...
Studies showed that fear of negative evaluation of students may affect their academic motivation. However, which variables mediate between academic motivation and fear of negative evaluation is unclear. This study aims to explore the mediating role of cognitive flexibility and critical thinking in the relationship between academic motivation and fear of negative evaluation in adolescents. A correlational design was used to examine this relationship. A total of 2085 adolescents ages 13-14 (65% female) participated in this study. The data were collected via self-report screening tools, including a personal information form, Academic Motivation Scale, Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Cognitive Flexibility Scale, and Critical Thinking Scale. The findings revealed a moderate negative correlation between academic motivation and fear of negative evaluation (r = −.49), and cognitive flexibility and critical thinking also partially mediate. This model explains approximately 41% of the total variance. Despite some limitations, our study provides partial evidence of the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility and critical thinking between academic motivation and fear of negative evaluation. More research is needed to develop the model. Psychology in the Schools. 2023;1-12. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pits © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. | 1 K E Y W O R D S academic motivation, cognitive flexibility, critical thinking, fear of negative evaluation Practitioner points • There is a moderate negative correlation between academic motivation and fear of negative evaluation. • Cognitive flexibility and critical thinking partially mediate negative correlation between academic motivation and fear of negative evaluation. • To increase academic motivation and to decrease the fear of negative evaluation of adolescents, their cognitive flexibility and critical thinking skills can be improved.
... Sensitivity to social rejection is examined by Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (Collins et al., 2005;Duke et al., 2006) and the Rejection Sensitivity Scale (Mehrabian, 1994). During the experimental protocol, we also administer a behavioral task, the Cyberball Social Exclusion Task (Eisenberger et al., 2009). ...
Depression, one of the most common diseases in older adults, carries significant risk for morbidity and mortality. Because of the burgeoning population of older adults, the enormous burden of late-life depression, and the limited efficacy of current antidepressants in older adults, biologically plausible models that translate into selective depression prevention strategies are needed. Insomnia predicts depression recurrence and is a modifiable target to prevent incident and recurrent depression in older adults. Yet, it is not known how insomnia gets converted into biological- and affective risk for depression, which is critical for identification of molecular targets for pharmacologic interventions, and for refinement of insomnia treatments that target affective responding to improve efficacy. Sleep disturbance activates inflammatory signaling and primes immune responses to subsequent inflammatory challenge. In turn, inflammatory challenge induces depressive symptoms, which correlate with activation of brain regions implicated in depression. This study hypothesizes that insomnia serves as a vulnerability factor for inflammation-related depression; older adults with insomnia will show heightened inflammatory- and affective responding to inflammatory challenge as compared to those without insomnia. To test this hypothesis, this protocol paper describes a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study of low dose endotoxin in older adults (n = 160; 60–80 y) with insomnia vs. comparison controls without insomnia. The aims of this study are to examine differences in depressive symptoms, measures of negative affective responding, and measures of positive affective responding as a function of insomnia and inflammatory challenge. If the hypotheses are confirmed, older adults with two “hits”, insomnia and inflammatory activation, would represent a high risk group to be prioritized for monitoring and for depression prevention efforts using treatments that target insomnia or inflammation. Moreover, this study will inform the development of mechanism-based treatments that target affect responses in addition to sleep behaviors, and which might also be coupled with efforts to reduce inflammation to optimize efficacy of depression prevention.
... Social interaction has adverse impact on psychological wellbeing indices (Al-Amarei, 2014). It is important to investigate the relationship between fear of negative evaluation (Collins et al., 2005) -a key aspect of social anxiety-, social interaction anxiety, and depression in individuals with OCPD, in order to support psychological formulations. It is also important to investigate whether valence of the preceding social interaction moderates the levels of anxiety, depression, and efforts to inhibit either positive or negative social interactions (Bailey et al., 2019). ...
There is evidence suggesting that the conceptualization and operationalization of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is not satisfactory (Watters et al., 2019). In this study, we used an online sample (N = 1008) to investigate the construct validity of the PID-5 OCPD trait measure. Regression analyses supported our hypothesis that rigid perfectionism captured the core phenomenology of OCPD whereas restricted affectivity and intimacy avoidance were not conceptually related to the OCPD construct. Based on the biosocial theory for overcontrol (Lynch, 2018), we introduced anxiousness and workaholism to the PID-5 OCPD trait profile. In establishing the validity of the revised OCPD trait profile, we investigated, for the first time, the role of social interaction anxiety and maladaptive coping in OCPD. Our revised OCPD profile showed good validity and was characterized by marked social interaction anxiety and dysfunctional coping mechanisms. The findings may lead to a new conceptualization of OCPD which prioritizes deficits in social interaction and coping. We identify areas that need to be prioritized in the evaluation of OCPD by mental health professionals and offer avenues for new clinical research in the field.
... The Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (Collins et al., 2005) is a measure of rejection sensitivity and attitudes toward social evaluation, consisting of 12 items. Response options range from 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely). ...
The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project's success rests on the assumption that constructs and data can be integrated across units of analysis and developmental stages. We adopted a psychoneurometric approach to establish biobehavioral liability models of sensitivity to social threat, a key component of potential threat that is particularly salient to the development of adolescent affective psychopathology. Models were derived from measures across four units of analysis in a community sample (n = 129) of 11- to 13-year-old girls oversampled for shy/fearful temperament. To test the ecological validity of derived factors, they were then related to real-world socioaffective processes in peer interactions over a 16-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol. Our results indicate that measures (i.e., amygdala reactivity to negative social feedback, eye-tracking bias toward social threat, parent- and adolescent-reports of social threat sensitivity) formed unit-specific factors, rather than one unified factor. These findings suggest that these factors were largely unrelated. Amygdala response to social punishment and attention bias toward threatening faces predicted real-world experiences with peers, suggesting that vigilance toward potentially threatening social information could be a mechanism through which vulnerable youth come to experience their peer interactions more negatively. We discuss measurement challenges confronting efforts to quantify developmentally sensitive RDoC constructs across units of analysis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
... To assess individual differences in fear of negative evaluation, we administered the brief version of the BFNE [95]. The BFNE consists of 12 items, and each item is scored on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("not at all characteristic of me") to 5 ("extremely characteristic of me"). ...
Background
Fear of negative evaluation (FNE), referring to negative expectation and feelings toward other people’s social evaluation, is closely associated with social anxiety that plays an important role in our social life. Exploring the neural markers of FNE may be of theoretical and practical significance to psychiatry research ( e.g ., studies on social anxiety).
Methods
To search for potentially relevant biomarkers of FNE in human brain, the current study applied multivariate relevance vector regression, a machine‐learning and data‐driven approach, on brain morphological features ( e.g ., cortical thickness) derived from structural imaging data; further, we used these features as indexes to predict self‐reported FNE score in each participant.
Results
Our results confirm the predictive power of multiple brain regions, including those engaged in negative emotional experience ( e.g ., amygdala, insula), regulation and inhibition of emotional feeling ( e.g. , frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus), and encoding and retrieval of emotional memory ( e.g ., posterior cingulate cortex, parahippocampal gyrus).
Conclusions
The current findings suggest that anxiety represents a complicated construct that engages multiple brain systems, from primitive subcortical mechanisms to sophisticated cortical processes.
... After reverse coding several items, a mean score was calculated with higher scores indicating higher fear of negative evaluation. The questionnaire has good construct, concurrent and discriminant validity and the test-retest reliability is high (Collins et al., 2005). In this study, the inter-item reliability was very good (Cronbach's α = 0.93). ...
This pre-registered study focused on developing a new social picture task to assess interpretation bias related to social fears in adolescents. Using such a pictorial task may increase ecological validity and readily trigger emotional processes compared to more traditional verbal tasks that are often used. In the picture task, ambiguous social pictures were presented, followed by a positive and negative interpretation. In this study, we examined how the new task relates to an already existing interpretation bias task and how the new pictorial task relates to social fears in adolescents. The sample consisted of 329 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. Interpretation bias was assessed with the newly developed pictorial task and with more traditional verbal vignettes. Social fears were measured with self-report questionnaires. The results suggest that the pictorial task was able to assess interpretation bias comparable to the verbal vignettes, suggesting appropriate convergent validity. Interpretation bias assessed with the picture task was linked to higher levels of fear of negative evaluation, the core symptom of social anxiety, but not to social anxiety symptoms in general. The verbal task was linked to both social fears and thus still seems the preferred method to investigate interpretation bias related to social fears in adolescents. However, we do believe that with further improvement of the pictorial task, it could be a useful addition to the research field.
... Need to belong was measured using 10 items (α = 0.813) [54,55]. Fear of negative evaluation was assessed with 12 items (α = 0.894) [55][56][57]. The Prosocial Behaviour score was derived from 5 items (α = 0.733) [55,58]. ...
Background
Despite a steady decline in adolescent smoking globally, it remains a prevalent risk factor for non-communicable disease. Previous research points to differences in socio-environmental and psychosocial risk factors for smoking and how they vary across different settings with disparate social and cultural characteristics. As a result, smoking rates have remained disproportionately higher in some settings while decreasing in others. This study explored the socio-environmental and psychosocial risk factors for smoking susceptibility in a high-income and upper-middle income setting.
Methods
Cross-sectional data were obtained from 1,573 male and female adolescents aged 11-15 years who completed self-administered questionnaires in schools in Northern Ireland and Bogotá, Colombia. Using logistic regression analysis, we examined how socio-environmental and psychosocial predictors of smoking susceptibility compared across the two countries.
Results
In Northern Ireland, reduced odds of smoking susceptibility were significantly associated with less family smoking (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.41-1.00); having access to information about smoking in school (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59-0.96); negative attitudes towards smoking (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.23-0.51); higher levels of openness (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.50-0.69); and higher levels of self-reported wellbeing (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.44-0.74). Increased odds of smoking susceptibility were associated with reporting less smoking of a mother (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.06-1.76); higher levels of extraversion (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.04-1.90); and receiving pocket money (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06-1.37). In Bogotá, reduced odds of smoking susceptibility were significantly associated with reporting less smoking among friends (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.76-0.98); higher levels of self-efficacy (OR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.40-0.83); greater perceived behavioural control to quit smoking (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.56-0.90); and lower levels of truancy (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.52-0.92). In Bogotá, no factors were associated with increased odds of smoking susceptibility in the final model.
Conclusions
The findings illustrate that there were differences in predictors of adolescent smoking susceptibility across the two settings. By using a comparative approach we demonstrate that smoking interventions and policies must be sensitive to the cultural and normative context within which they are implemented.
... • The brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale is a 12-item measure of apprehension about the evaluations of an individual made by others and the distress caused by these perceived evaluations. The FNE demonstrates good internal consistency (a = 0.97) and high testretest reliability (r = 0.94) [28]. Higher scores indicate higher levels of distress, with score >25 considered to be an indicator of social anxiety [29]. ...
Background:
Ptosis may result in increased anxiety, appearance-related distress and social avoidance, and impacts visual function. Previous work demonstrates the benefits of ptosis surgery for health-related quality of life, but there is a paucity of research comparing such outcomes before and after surgery. The aim of this study was to determine potential patient benefits in health-related quality of life, social dysfunction and anxiety following successful ptosis surgery using validated measures.
Methods:
Adult ptosis correction surgery patients completed validated measures of appearance-related social anxiety and avoidance, anxiety and depression, and fear of negative evaluation pre-surgery. Following successful surgery, these measures were repeated post-discharge in addition to another health-related quality of life measure.
Results:
Of 61 patients recruited, follow-up measures were sent to 33 and completed by 23. Paired samples t-tests demonstrated positive significant changes in appearance-related social distress pre-op m = 30.94, post-op m = 23.67 (t(17) = 3.46, 95% CI 2.84-11.72, p = 0.003), anxiety pre-op m = 7.6, post-op m = 4.9 (t(19) = 4.27, 95% CI 1.38-4.02, p < 0.001) and fear of negative evaluation pre-op m = 34.79, post-op m = 31.26 (t(18) = 2.47, 95% CI 0.52-6.53, p = 0.024). There was no significant difference in depression scores pre-op m = 3.6; post-op m = 3.2 (t(19) = 0.672, 65% CL -0.85 to 1.65, p = 0.510). In total, 85% of patients reported positive benefit to well-being following surgery.
Conclusion:
Increasingly, evidence suggests ptosis surgery may benefit patient's well-being, appearance-related social anxiety and avoidance, as well as improving visual function. These psychosocial benefits should be considered alongside functional benefits in the provision of ptosis surgery.
... completed three measures of emotional wellbeing: The Fear of Negative Evaluation (brief form; Leary, 1983) consists of eight items (e.g., "I am afraid that others will not approve of me"; 1=not at all characteristic of me, 5=extremely characteristic of me; M=2.84; SD=1.03). The measure has good reliability (α=.95) and construct validity (Collins, Westra, Dozois, & Stewart, 2005). The Self-Compassion Scale (short form; Neff, 2003; e.g. ...
The importance of clarifying personal values has gained popularity in brief interventions recently, but little is known about factors that predict clarity in values or the benefits of values clarity in non-clinical populations. First-year college students and their mothers (99 dyads) completed an online survey where they rated the importance of 20 values and students indicated how they thought their mothers would rate each value. An overall values clarity score was created for both dyad members by taking the mean across the 20 values. Students reported their alcohol use in the past 30 days and their emotional wellbeing. Results revealed that students who perceived their mothers to have strong values clarity reported having greater values clarity themselves and consistent with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles, students with higher values clarity scores reported drinking less frequently, fewer instances of binge drinking, and greater positive affect.
... The BFNE has exhibited high internal consistency (α = 0.90-0.97) and good validity (Collins, Westra, Dozois, & Stewart, 2005;Leary, 1983). The Chinese version of the BFNE has also demonstrated good internal consistency (α = 0.88; Liang, 2018). ...
Research suggests that socially anxious (SA) individuals exhibit poorer attentional inhibition than their non-anxious (NA) counterparts. Attentional control theory presumes that cognitive load worsens the adverse effects of anxiety on attentional inhibition. However, previous studies examined the effects of cognitive load on attentional inhibition in social anxiety yielded inconsistent results. In this study, cognitive load was manipulated by adding a 1-back (low cognitive load) and 2-back task (high cognitive load) to the emotional antisaccade task, investigating the effects of cognitive load on attentional inhibition in the presence of social evaluative stimuli in SA and NA individuals. Results revealed that cognitive load improved the efficiency but impeded the effectiveness of inhibitory attentional control in SA participants. Under high cognitive load, SA participants made more erroneous saccades for threat-related than nonthreat-related faces while NA participants showed no differences in error rates among different face types. Moreover, regardless of cognitive levels, SA participants had shorter saccade latencies for angry faces than happy and neutral faces. NA participants did not show differences in saccade latencies among different face types. Implications of these findings for understanding the role that cognitive load plays in the processes of attentional control and interventions for social anxiety are discussed.
... The psychometric properties of the brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale are well documented (4,(9)(10)(11). For instance, the study of the Iranian version of BFNE proved that it is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring social anxiety and its structural validity supported a two-factor solution for the questionnaire (11). Similarly, Rodebaugh et al. (7) and Duck et al. (12) found a two-factor solution for the scale indicating that positive and reverse-worded items best fit the data. ...
... to .97; Collins et al., 2005;Weeks et al., 2005). There was good internal consistency for both online (α = .89) ...
Objective: Clark and Wells cognitive model of social anxiety has significant empirical support and has informed evidence-based treatments for Social Anxiety Disorder. However, to date, research for this model is related to face-to-face social interactions. Considering the increased rates of Internet use and social media worldwide, this study aimed to examine the utility of this model regarding online social interactions, the role of Internet use as an avoidance strategy for face-to-face interactions, and the relationship between social anxiety, online social interactions, and wellbeing.
Method: A 109 individuals were recruited via social media to complete a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing social anxiety and Internet use.
Results: The findings support the cognitive model of Social Anxiety Disorder and lend support to its relevance in online social interactions. Furthermore, we found that individuals with a high level of social anxiety experience fewer negative social cognitions, less fear of negative evaluation, and prefer online social communication compared to face-to-face communication. However, social anxiety was not significantly associated with Internet use. In contrast to previous research, online social interaction was related to poorer wellbeing regardless of social anxiety.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that Internet use and social anxiety related to online social interactions may be important areas for mental health assessment. Despite study limitations, our findings encourage future research in this area.
KEY POINTS
What is already known about this topic:
• Social Anxiety Disorder is a prominent and chronic mental health problem.
• Clark and Wells (1995 Clark, D. M., & Wells, A. (1995). A cognitive model of social phobia. In R. G. Heimberg, M. R. Liebowitz, D. A. Hope, & F. R. Schneler (Eds.), Social phobia: Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment (pp. 69–93). Guilford Press. [Google Scholar]) cognitive model of social anxiety has significant empirical support for face-to-face interactions.
• Social Anxiety Disorder is associated with problematic Internet use.
What this topic adds:
• Key aspects of the cognitive model for social anxiety were supported for online social situations.
• Individuals with social anxiety may be less likely to experience negative social cognitions and fear of negative evaluation while socialising online.
• Social anxiety symptoms are associated with a preference for online social interaction and Internet use as an avoidance strategy.
... These measures were reevaluated after the last session. Given that the BFNE was sensitive to treatment-related change and thus useful as an outcome measure in SAD [35], the BFNE was repeatedly evaluated in each session. ...
Virtual reality (VR) was introduced to maximize the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) by efficiently performing exposure therapy. The purpose of this study was to find out whether VR-based individual CBT with relatively few treatment sessions is effective in improving social anxiety disorder (SAD). This therapy was applied to 115 patients with SAD who were retrospectively classified into 43 patients who completed the nine or 10 sessions normally (normal termination group), 52 patients who finished the sessions early (early termination group), and 20 patients who had extended the sessions (session extension group). The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE) scores tended to decrease in all groups as the session progressed, and the slope of decrease was the steepest in the early termination group and the least steep in the session extension group. Severity of social anxiety in the last session and symptom reduction rate showed no significant group difference. Our findings suggest that short-term VR-based individual CBT of nine to 10 sessions may be effective. When the therapeutic effect is insufficient during this period, the additional benefit may be minimal if the session is simply extended. The improvement in the early termination group suggests that even shorter sessions of five or six can also be effective.
... Considering the fit indices obtained, it was observed that both models fit the data well. Based on these results, the researchers took into account the previous single-factor model proposal of Collins et al. (2005). They concluded that the remaining reverse-scored three items on the scale did not measure a different structure from the other eight items. ...
... For adults, existing anxiety screening resources can be recommended. To assess the expectation of negative evaluation from others, the eight-or 10-item Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation scale can be used (Carleton et al., 2007(Carleton et al., , 2011(Carleton et al., , 2006Collins et al., 2005;Duke et al., 2006;Leary, 1983;Rodebaugh, Woods, et al., 2004;Weeks et al., 2005). Clinically, this measure can be used to assess fear of negative evaluation and potential anxiety in order to determine the need for referral to a psychologist. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this review article is to provide an overview of the current evidence base for the behavioral management of stuttering and associated social anxiety.
Method
We overview recent research about stuttering and social anxiety in the context of contemporary cognitive models of social anxiety disorder. That emerging evidence for self-focused attention and safety behavior use with those who stutter is considered in relation to current treatment approaches for stuttering: speech restructuring and social anxiety management.
Results
The emerging information about social anxiety and stuttering suggests a conflict between the two clinical approaches. For those clients who wish to control their stuttering and where speech restructuring is deemed the most suitable approach, it is possible that speech restructuring may (a) induce or increase self-focused attention, (b) promote the use of safety behaviors, and (c) become a safety behavior itself. This conflict needs to be explored further within clinical and research contexts.
Conclusions
The issues raised in this review article are complex. It appears that evidence-based speech treatment procedures are in conflict with current best-practice treatment procedures that deal with social anxiety. In this review article, we propose directions for future research to inform the development of improved treatments for those who stutter and recommendations for interim clinical management of stuttering.
... Furthermore, there is substantial empirical evidence that fear of negative evaluation is a core cognitive feature of SAD [24]. The BFNE is more sensitive to treatment-related change than FNE [25]. Its Japanese version has been validated [26]. ...
Background:
The present study is aimed at investigating the relationship between changes in symptoms and changes in social functioning during cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder (SAD).
Methods:
Ninety-six patients with SAD were treated with manualized group CBT. Measures of social anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, cognition, and social functioning were administered at baseline and endpoint. Using multiple regression analysis, we examined the associations between the changes in four aspects (work, home management, social leisure activities, and private leisure activities) of social functioning as dependent variables and the changes in four factors (social interaction, public speaking, observation by others, and eating and drinking in public) in social anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and cognition as independent variables.
Results:
The changes in work functioning were predicted by the changes in the public speaking factor in social anxiety symptoms. The changes in depression symptoms predicted the changes in home management. The significant predictors of changes in social leisure activities were the changes in the social interaction factor and depression symptoms. The changes in private leisure activities were predicted by the changes in the observation by others factor. The changes in cognition predicted nothing.
Conclusion:
The present study suggested that the changes in social anxiety or depression symptoms may predict several aspects of social functioning changes in patients with SAD over the course of CBT. In order to improve social functioning, our results may be useful for selecting the fear or feared situation in CBT for SAD. Trial Registration. The clinical study registration number in the Japanese trials registry is UMIN CTR 000031147.
... Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (BFNE), [18] a 12-item scale, was used to measure the extent of worries related to unfavorable views by others. Participants are asked to rate on a scale ranging from 1 (not at all characteristic of me) to 5 (extremely characteristic of me). ...
Background:
Both cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and paroxetine (PX) are the preferred treatments for social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, in literature, there have been divided opinions for the efficacy of the combination of these treatments. This study intended to evaluate whether the combination of CBT and PX would be superior to monotherapy of PX in the treatment of SAD.
Methods:
This was a single centre, rater-blind, non randomised study which included 40 consenting adult participants who received CBT+PX or PX only. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, and Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (BFNE) were assessed at baseline (0 weeks), immediate posttreatment (16-18 weeks for CBT + PX and 16-20 weeks for PX only), and at follow-ups 2 months after posttreatment.
Results:
Both the treatment groups have a statistically significant difference in mean scores in all outcome measures in posttreatment and follow-up stages compared with pretreatment scores. However, CBT + PX has a better treatment and maintenance gain as compared to PX alone in the posttreatment and follow-up stages.
Conclusions:
In SAD management, combinations of CBT + PX are superior to PX alone, and the treatment gains are also better maintained in former than latter.
... If so, how many and with whom?" Pupils were provided with a school year roster in order to help with completion of the social network nominations. Pro-sociality will be assessed with the Need to Belong Scale (62), Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (63,64), and Pro-Social Behavior Scale (65). ...
This proof of concept study harnesses novel transdisciplinary insights to contrast two school-based smoking prevention interventions among adolescents in the UK and Colombia. We compare schools in these locations because smoking rates and norms are different, in order to better understand social norms based mechanisms of action related to smoking. We aim to: (1) improve the measurement of social norms for smoking behaviors in adolescents and reveal how they spread in schools; (2) to better characterize the mechanisms of action of smoking prevention interventions in schools, learning lessons for future intervention research. The A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial (ASSIST) intervention harnesses peer influence, while the Dead Cool intervention uses classroom pedagogy. Both interventions were originally developed in the UK but culturally adapted for a Colombian setting. In a before and after design, we will obtain psychosocial, friendship, and behavioral data (e.g., attitudes and intentions toward smoking and vaping) from ~300 students in three schools for each intervention in the UK and the same number in Colombia (i.e., ~1,200 participants in total). Pre-intervention, participants take part in a Rule Following task, and in Coordination Games that allow us to assess their judgments about the social appropriateness of a range of smoking-related and unrelated behaviors, and elicit individual sensitivity to social norms. After the interventions, these behavioral economic experiments are repeated, so we can assess how social norms related to smoking have changed, how sensitivity to classroom and school year group norms have changed and how individual changes are related to changes among friends. This Game Theoretic approach allows us to estimate proxies for norms and norm sensitivity parameters and to test for the influence of individual student attributes and their social networks within a Markov Chain Monte Carlo modeling framework. We identify hypothesized mechanisms by triangulating results with qualitative data from participants. The MECHANISMS study is innovative in the interplay of Game Theory and longitudinal social network analytical approaches, and in its transdisciplinary research approach. This study will help us to better understand the mechanisms of smoking prevention interventions in high and middle income settings.
... Its test-retest reliability across two weeks is r ϭ .94 (Collins, Westra, Dozois, & Stewart, 2005). In our study, Cronbach's alpha ϭ .72. ...
Objective:
Sexual minority women are at heightened risk for breast and cervical cancer and are less likely than heterosexual women to obtain timely screenings for breast and cervical cancer. This study tested hypotheses about potential factors that contribute to nonadherence to these screenings among sexual minority women.
Method:
Sexual minority women living in the United States aged 18 to 74 who met other eligibility criteria (n = 1,115) were recruited to complete an online questionnaire. Screening utilization, demographic information, sexual orientation, and health care indicators were collected. Variables linked to minority stress were assessed: stigma consciousness, internalized homophobia, rejection sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, and concealment of sexual orientation from one's health care provider. Logistic regression models tested whether these psychological variables were independently associated with nonadherence for Papanicolaou (Pap) test and breast cancer screening.
Results:
The variable of concealment had the strongest positive independent association with failure to obtain timely Pap tests. Among women who had a general physical in the last year, concealment, stigma consciousness, rejection sensitivity, and fear of negative evaluation were all positively associated with lower rates of timely Pap tests. Among all women, these psychological variables were positively associated with never obtaining a Pap test and concealment was also negatively associated with clinical breast exam adherence.
Conclusions:
Psychological barriers and concealment of sexual identity may hinder adherence to screening guidelines among some sexual minority women. Strategies facilitating positive experiences of disclosure to health care providers and addressing psychological factors related to minority stress could promote adherence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
... The psychometric properties of the brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale are well documented (4,(9)(10)(11). For instance, the study of the Iranian version of BFNE proved that it is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring social anxiety and its structural validity supported a two-factor solution for the questionnaire (11). Similarly, Rodebaugh et al. (7) and Duck et al. (12) found a two-factor solution for the scale indicating that positive and reverse-worded items best fit the data. ...
Background: The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale-Straightforward Item (BFNE-S) is an internationally recognized tool for measuring fear of negative evaluation. The current investigation was designed to assess the reliability and validity of the Persian version of BFNE-S in a non-clinical sample in Iran.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of university students. They completed the Iranian version of the BFNE-S and the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN). Internal consistency was assessed using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Validity was examined using known groups comparison to test how well the questionnaire differentiates between subgroups of the study sample that differed in gender. In addition convergent validity was performed to examine the correlation between the BFNE-S and scores derived from the SPIN. Furthermore, the structural validity of the questionnaire was examined by performing confirmatory factor analysis using the LISREL 8.8 software.
Results: A total of 150 university students participated in the study. The results obtained from reliability analysis indicated that the Iranian version of the BFNE-S had desirable internal consistency. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.89. Satisfactory discriminant and convergent validity of the questionnaire also were established. The BFNE-S score was significantly higher in female respondents compared to male respondents as hypothesized (P = 0.008). The BFNE-S was correlated to the Iranian version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) in the expected direction (r = 0.58, P <0.001). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit to data lending support to its original one-dimensional structure.
Conclusion: The findings indicated that the Iranian version of the BFNE-S was a valid measure of fear of negative evaluation. Since the scale showed a unitary factor structure, the theoretical basis for the BFNE-S is confirmed.
... Demographic variables provide an indication of discriminant validity, as it is assumed pregnancy anxiety should be relatively unrelated to education, income, and age compared with other mental health factors. The method of using theoretically unrelated demographic variables to assess discriminant validity is consistent with methodology from previous studies (Collins, Westra, Dozois, & Stewart, 2005;Hutti, DePacheco, & Smith, 1998). Further, although it is expected that pregnancy anxiety is likely related to interpersonal variables, these factors provide a measure of discriminant validity, as we would expect the PRAS to be less related to interpersonal variables compared with mental health factors. ...
Anxiety is common in fathers during pregnancy. Some literature suggests that fathers experience a specific prenatal psychological state known as pregnancy anxiety, defined as concerns or worries specific to pregnancy. Yet, there is a dearth of evidence for the psychometric properties of self-report measures for use with fathers. The current study aims to describe the psychometric properties of the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Scale (PRAS) for use with fathers during pregnancy. Fathers (N = 142) were recruited from local prenatal resources. Each participant was e-mailed a unique survey link when their partners were in the third trimester (i.e., ≥28 weeks gestation) and 1-month postpartum that included measures for paternal mental health and relationship functioning. Through principal axis factoring, a single-factor structure best represented the 10-item PRAS scale, which demonstrated good internal reliability (α = .87). The PRAS total scale demonstrated convergent validity with measures of anxiety, r = .45, p < .001, and depression, r = .52, p < .001, while also representing a distinct construct and discriminant validity from less-related constructs. The PRAS displayed predictive validity of anxiety and depression caseness at 1-month postpartum. The current study has the capacity to aide prenatal screening and preventative measures for men transitioning to parenthood.
... People with social anxiety demonstrate a variety of behaviours in order to avoid negative evaluation and have attentional biases for detecting social-evaluative threats (Heinrichs and Hofmann 2001;Vassilopoulos 2005). Although some studies describe FNE as a trait or personality factor, FNE is highly correlated with a number of outcome measures used in treatment studies of individuals with SAD and has been found to be a sensitive measure of change in SAD symptoms (see Collins et al. 2005). Despite FNE being a core construct in understanding SAD, little is known about whether changes in FNE are directly associated with changes in SAD symptoms, and whether FNE changes in a universal temporal pattern across individuals. ...
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is an effective intervention for SAD, however, many individuals with SAD remain symptomatic at the end of CBT. Therefore, it is important to understand variables that influence patients’ responses to treatment. The present study investigated temporal changes in SAD symptoms as related to fear of negative evaluation (FNE) in a clinical sample of individuals with SAD who completed CBT. Participants with SAD (N = 175) completed self-report measures of SAD symptoms and FNE weekly across 12 weeks of group CBT. We used latent difference score dynamic modelling to explore the relationship between SAD symptom scores and FNE during CBT. Reductions in FNE were associated with subsequent reductions in SAD symptoms for individuals who showed a rapid response to treatment. The coupling of FNE and subsequent reductions in SAD symptoms was not seen in individuals not showing a rapid response. This study provides further support for the phenomenon of rapid response in CBT for SAD and suggests that mechanisms of change may be different for rapid responders as compared to non-rapid responders. The results of the current study may have implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying treatment response during CBT for SAD and for whom particular mechanisms are relevant.
Interpersonal space is regulated carefully and updated dynamically during social interactions to maintain comfort. We investigated the naturalistic processing of interpersonal distance in real time and space using a powerful implicit neurophysiological measure of attentional engagement. In a sample of 37 young adults recruited at a UK university, we found greater EEG alpha band suppression when a person ‘occupies’ or‘moves into’ near-personal space than for a person occupying or moving into public space. In the dynamic condition only, the differences attenuated over the course of the experiment, and were sensitive to individual differences in social anxiety. These data show, for the first time, neurophysiological correlates of interpersonal distance coding in a naturalistic setting. Critically, while veridical distance is important for attentional response to the presence of a person in one’s space, the behavioural relevance of their movement through public and personal space takes primacy.
This study investigated the utilization of digital phenotypes and machine learning algorithms to predict impending panic symptoms in patients with mood and anxiety disorders. A cohort of 43 patients was monitored over a two-year period, with data collected from smartphone applications and wearable devices. This research aimed to differentiate between the day before panic (DBP) and stable days without symptoms. With RandomForest, GradientBoost, and XGBoost classifiers, the study analyzed 3,969 data points, including 254 DBP events. The XGBoost model demonstrated performance with a ROC-AUC score of 0.905, while a simplified model using only the top 10 variables maintained an ROC-AUC of 0.903. Key predictors of panic events included evaluated Childhood Trauma Questionnaire scores, increased step counts, and higher anxiety levels. These findings indicate the potential of machine learning algorithms leveraging digital phenotypes to predict panic symptoms, thereby supporting the development of proactive and personalized digital therapies and providing insights into real-life indicators that may exacerbate panic symptoms in this population.
To evaluate the effectiveness of online cognitive behavior therapy, treatment of a 20-year-old girl was executed through Skype over 9-months including 22 Psychotherapy sessions. According to DSM-5 she was diagnosed with "Social Anxiety Disorder, Performance Only" and "Major Depressive Disorder, Moderate". Pre-test assessment through Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Self-Statements during Public Speaking Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory indicated prominent social phobia, clinically significant social anxiety, frequent negative self-statements, and severe depression respectively. Cognitive behavioral techniques were applied including identifying cognitive distortions and cognitive restructuring, belief change through Socratic dialogues, systematic desensitization, problem solving, and developing communication skills. The post-treatment assessments showed no social phobia/ anxiety and depression and more positive self-statements while rare negative self-statements were found till 1-month follow-up that completely faded over 3-months, 6-months, 2.5 years, and 5 years follow-ups. To evaluate progress over time, separate client and clinician ratings were recorded in every session through Subjective Units of Distress Scale and Clinical Global Impressions Scale respectively. Before the start of treatment, client rating indicated a distress level near to freak-out and alienate which coincided with clinician rating showing markedly ill level with no change from baseline. Gradual reduction in distress and improvement was observed throughout treatment while both client and clinician rating at the end of treatment indicated a normal level, improved state, peace, serenity, and total relief suggesting no more anxiety of any kind. Further, the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire showed that at beginning client rated on average 85% credibility and positive expectancy of treatment outcomes which improved to 95% on average at the end of treatment. Overall, objective and subjective measures were found to demonstrate stable outcomes over 5 years suggesting that online cognitive behavioral therapy stands as effective treatment for social anxiety disorder and depression. The efficacious outcomes are especially significant in relevance to the pre and post covid technological advancements in the field of clinical psychology.
Introduction: Social anxiety disorder is characterized by the fear of negative evaluation. This psychological construct results in individual’s poor functioning. Aim: The present research aimed to compare the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness therapy on the fear of negative evaluation in individuals with social anxiety disorder. Method: This quasi-experimental study, with a pretest-posttest control group design, was conducted on a population of individuals with social anxiety symptoms, who were referred to the psychological clinics of Shiraz, Iran, in 2019. Sampling was performed using the convenience sampling method. After initial evaluations, 45 people were randomly divided into three equal groups (two intervention groups and one control group). The CBT protocol proposed by Hoffman and Otto (2008) and the Acceptance and Mindfulness protocol by Fleming and Kukowski (2007) were used to implement the interventions (12 two-hour sessions). The participants also completed the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) by Connor et al. (2000) and the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale by Leary (1983) before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed in SPSS-24, using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: The results of MANCOVA test showed a significant difference between the scores of the control and experimental groups (P<0.001). Compared to the control group, the fear of negative evaluation reduced in the experimental groups. Although there was no significant difference between the two treatment approaches (P>0.05), the effect of mindfulness treatment was slightly higher than CBT. Conclusion: In this study, comparison of the two mindfulness and CBT approaches indicated no significant difference between these two methods in reducing the fear of negative evaluation among individuals with social anxiety. Therefore; it is suggested to use acombination of these two methods to reduce the fear of negative evaluation.
In learning English students might face some obstacles that made them reluctant to improve their competence. One of the obstacles was the existence of language anxiety that students could experience in learning English. The objective of this research was to find out the descriptions of non-English major students’ foreign language anxiety which consisted of communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, test anxiety, and English classroom anxiety. This research used a qualitative research method, in which the writers did a study case at one university in Palembang. The data were analyzed descriptively and presented in tables. In this research, 640 first semester students of Economics and Business Faculty of Muhammadiyah University Palembang in the academic year of 2021/2022 were chosen by using the total population sampling. The data were collected by using Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) questionnaire. Based on the findings of the research, it showed that students experienced foreign language anxiety, such as communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, test anxiety, and English classroom anxiety.
Introduction:
Evaluating patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) helps optimize preoperative counseling and psychosocial care for patients who underwent cranioplasty.
Research question:
This study aimed to evaluate cosmetic satisfaction, level of self-esteem, and fear of negative evaluation (FNE) of patients who underwent cranioplasty.
Material and methods:
Patients who underwent cranioplasty from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020 at University Medical Center Utrecht and a control group consisting of our center' employees were invited to fill out the Craniofacial Surgery Outcomes Questionnaire (CSO-Q), consisting of an assessment of cosmetic satisfaction, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the FNE scale. To test for differences in results, chi-square tests and T-tests were performed. Logistic regression was used to study the effect of cranioplasty-related variables on cosmetic satisfaction.
Results:
Cosmetic satisfaction was seen in 44/80 patients (55.0%) and 52/70 controls (74.3%) (p = 0.247). Thirteen patients (16.3%) and 8 controls (11.4%) had high self-esteem (p = 0.362), 51 patients (63.8%) and 59 controls (84.3%) had normal self-esteem (p = 0.114), and 7 patients (8.8%) and 3 controls (4.3%) had low self-esteem (p = 0.337). Forty-nine patients (61.3%) and 39 controls (55.7%) had low FNE (p = 0.012), 8 patients (10.0%) and 18 controls (25.7%) had average FNE (p = 0.095), and 6 patients (7.5%) and 13 controls (18.6%) had high FNE (p = 0.215). Cosmetic satisfaction was associated with glass fiber-reinforced composite implants (OR 8.20, p-value = 0.04).
Discussion and conclusion:
This study prospectively evaluated PROMs following cranioplasty, for which we found favorable results.
Social anxiety (SA) and depression are marked by enhanced avoidance motivations (apprehensions) and reduced approach motivations (aspirations). Integrating an approach/avoidance motivational model with the evolutionary-inspired motivational perspective, we examined the associations of SA and depression with apprehensions and aspirations in the domains of social status. In two cross-sectional samples of young adults (N1 = 277; N2 = 256), we found that, whereas apprehensions concerning the loss of social status contributed to both SA and depression, aspirations and apprehensions concerning social status ascendance uniquely contributed only to SA. Additionally, the effects of social-status avoidance motivations on SA were partly accounted for by social-status aspirations: enhanced apprehensions were associated with reduced aspirations, which were associated with more severe SA. Finally, partial support for gender-specific links between social status motivations and SA was obtained. Our results highlight the potential of integrating the motivational frameworks of approach/avoidance and affiliation/social status to understand shared and specific components of SA and depression.
Little is known about the personality and cognitive traits that shape adolescents’ sensitivity to social norms. Further, few studies have harnessed novel empirical tools to elicit sensitivity to social norms among adolescent populations. This paper examines the association between sensitivity to norms and various personality and cognitive traits using an incentivised rule-following task grounded in Game Theory. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 1274 adolescents. Self-administered questionnaires were used to measure personality traits as well as other psychosocial characteristics. Incentivised rule-following experiments gauged sensitivity to social norms. A series of multilevel mixed effects ordered logistic regression models were employed to assess the association between sensitivity to norms and the personality and cognitive traits. The results highlighted statistically significant univariate associations between the personality and cognitive traits and sensitivity to norms. However, in the multivariate adjusted model, the only factor associated with sensitivity to norms was gender. The gender-stratified analyses revealed differences in the personality and cognitive traits associated with sensitivity to norms across genders. For males need to belong was significantly negatively associated with sensitivity to norms in the multivariate model. By comparison, emotional stability was negatively associated with sensitivity to norms for females. This study reinforced the findings from an earlier study and suggested female adolescents had higher levels of sensitivity to norms. The results indicated no consistent pattern between sensitivity to norms and the personality and cognitive traits. Our findings provide a basis for further empirical research on a relatively nascent construct, and bring a fresh perspective to the question of norm-following preferences among this age group.
To better understand how social anxiety develops, it is crucial to identify mechanisms that influence anxiety following social stressors. Anxiety sensitivity social concerns (ASSC; fear of publicly observable anxiety symptoms) and fear of negative evaluation (FNE; distress arising from concerns about negative judgment) are constructs that amplify anxiety following social stressors. However, it is unclear how ASSC and FNE influence acute anxiety following stressors in naturalistic settings. In the current study, the impact of ASSC and FNE on anxious arousal and anxious apprehension following stressors was examined in community adults (N = 83; M age = 29.66 years, SD = 12.49, 59.0% female) who completed questionnaires five times per day for two-weeks. Dynamic structural equation modeling was used to examine predictors of overall levels of anxiety as well as anxiety following social and nonsocial stressors. ASSC interacted with the presence of social stressors, such that ASSC positively predicted anxious arousal following social stressors. FNE interacted with the presence of nonsocial stressors to predict both forms of anxiety, such that FNE positively predicted anxiety following nonsocial stressors. These findings suggest ASSC may specifically amplify anxious arousal following social stressors, whereas FNE may broadly amplify anxiety following nonsocial stressors.
Risk attitudes are of interest to researchers in many fields as they play a crucial role in our day-to-day decision-making. In this paper we develop a measure of risk attitudes—the Multi-Domain Risk Tolerance (MDRT) scale—that addresses some key shortcomings of popular self-report scales, such as the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT) scale. We do this by clearly aligning the risk in the items with the particular domain of risk, reducing item ambiguity, and reducing the impact of prior knowledge. We developed the MDRT using an Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA) and Item Response Theory (IRT) approach with a community sample (N = 921). We examined its construct and convergent validity (N = 493) and construct generalizability (N = 487). We found that the MDRT had excellent internal consistency, dimensionality and latent factor structure. The MDRT also demonstrated significant convergent validity with related scales used in the literature. The MDRT is shown to be a promising alternative measure of risk attitudes.
Background
Individuals differ in how they react to stress or trauma through different coping styles in which they may deal directly with a stressor by adopting approach coping styles or disengage with a stressor by utilizing avoidant coping styles. Avoidant coping styles have been linked to adverse outcomes including psychological distress, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recently, avoidance coping styles as measured by a subset of items on the Brief COPE were found to have a weak positive relationship with performance on a computer-based avatar task which is related to avoidant personality temperaments. This avatar task was developed as an alternative for paper and pencil self-report inventories for measuring avoidant tendencies based on possible response biases of avoidant individuals. In the current study, avoidance and approach coping styles as measured by the Brief Approach/Avoidance Coping Questionnaire (BACQ) were compared to avoidant coping as measured by the Brief COPE and performance on the avatar task. In addition to approach and avoidance coping, the BACQ also measures active avoidance coping (i.e., diversion) and passive avoidance coping (i.e., resignation and withdrawal). The relationships between approach and avoidance coping and performance on the avatar task were also analyzed with the outcome of perceived stress as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).
Methods
One hundred undergraduates voluntarily completed the BACQ, the Brief COPE, and the PSS. Participants also completed a computer-based task in which they guided an avatar through a series of social situations where they indicated how they would interact with or avoid interacting with strangers.
Results
Approach coping had a weak negative relationship to avoidance coping as measured by the BACQ and the Brief COPE. Performance on the avatar task had a moderate positive relationship with avoidance coping (diversion as well as resignation and withdrawal) as measured by the BACQ and a moderate negative relationship with approach coping as measured by the BACQ. A model including only approach, diversion, and resignation and withdrawal coping best predicted performance on the avatar task in a linear regression model. While resignation and withdrawal coping and diversion coping had moderate positive relationships to avatar task scores, only resignation and withdrawal had a strong positive relationship to perceived stress. A model than included only resignation and withdrawal coping best predicted perceived stress in a linear regression model. Overall, passive avoidant coping styles (i.e., resignation and withdrawal), but not active avoidant coping style (i.e., diversion), were related to perceived stress. These results support the continued study of multiple aspects of avoidant coping styles as well as the avatar task to increase our understanding of the maladaptive effects of excessive avoidance in the face of stress.
El desempeño social de los individuos se ve influido por expectativas que personas tienen sobre el resultado de su conducta, ya que permiten anticipar el futuro y planificar cursos de acción. Las expectativas de rechazo social son definidas como pensamientos que anticipan la posibilidad de ser rechazado en una situación interpersonal y cuando son muy frecuentes pueden traer aparejado un sinnúmero de dificultades en la vida social de las personas. El objetivo de este estudio fue construir la Escala de Expectativas de Rechazo Social (ERS) para población adulta. En primer lugar, se confeccionaron 51 ítems preliminares que fueron sometidos a juicio de expertos (N = 6) para obtener evidencia de validez de contenido. En segundo lugar, utilizando muestreo accidental, se llevó a cabo un análisis factorial exploratorio (N = 320) y confirmatorio (N= 458). Como resultado se obtuvo una escala final compuesta por 27 ítems distribuidos en tres factores interpretados como Expectativas de rechazo ante situaciones con vínculos establecidos, Expectativas de rechazo en situaciones de establecimiento de nuevos vínculos y Expectativas de rechazo en lugares públicos y ante desconocidos. Se evaluó la consistencia interna de la escala, obteniendo coeficientes muy buenos y excelentes para cada factor (de .71 a .88). Finalmente, se obtuvieron correlaciones positivas significativas entre las escalas del test y diferentes medidas de ansiedad social. Se puede concluir que la ERS es un instrumento válido y confiable para la evaluación de las expectativas de rechazo social en población adulta, resultando una herramienta de utilidad en investigación y diagnóstico.
Many adolescent smoking prevention programmes target social norms, typically evaluated with self-report, susceptible to social desirability bias. An alternative approach with little application in public health are experimental norms elicitation methods. Using the Mechanisms of Networks and Norms Influence on Smoking in Schools (MECHANISMS) study baseline data, from 12-13 year old school pupils (n = 1656) in Northern Ireland and Bogotá (Colombia), we compare two methods of measuring injunctive and descriptive smoking and vaping norms: (1) incentivized experiments, using monetary payments to elicit norms; (2) self-report scales. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined whether the methods measured the same construct. Paths from exposures (country, sex, personality) to social norms, and associations of norms with (self-reported and objectively measured) smoking behavior/intentions were inspected in another structural model. Second-order CFA showed that latent variables representing experimental and survey norms measurements were measuring the same underlying construct of anti-smoking/vaping norms (Comparative Fit Index = 0.958, Tucker Lewis Index = 0.951, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.030, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual = 0.034). Adding covariates into a structural model showed significant paths from country to norms (second-order anti-smoking/vaping norms latent variable: standardized factor loading [β] = 0.30, standard error [SE] = 0.09, p < 0.001), and associations of norms with self-reported anti-smoking behavior (β = 0.40, SE = 0.04, p < 0.001), self-reported anti-smoking intentions (β = 0.42, SE = 0.06, p < 0.001), and objectively measured smoking behavior (β = - 0.20, SE = 0.06, p = 0.001). This paper offers evidence for the construct validity of behavioral economic methods of eliciting adolescent smoking and vaping norms. These methods seem to index the same underlying phenomena as commonly-used self-report scales.
To accurately evaluate treatments of generalized social phobia, it is not sufficient that measures be reliable and valid, they also must be sensitive to treatment-related changes. The present study evaluated the sensitivity of the following five measures: (a) The Social Phobia scale from the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI-SP), (b) the SPAI difference score (SPAI-D), (c) the short form of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE-S), (d) the Social Phobia scale from the Fear Questionnaire (FQ-SP), and (e) peak anxiety during an impromptu speech task. Unmedicated people with generalized social phobia (N = 60) were randomly allocated to one of the following two treatments: (a) eight sessions of associative therapy (AT; i.e., free association to socially relevant thoughts and memories), followed by eight sessions of in vivo exposure (EXP); or (b) eight sessions of cognitive restructuring (CR), followed by eight sessions of EXP. Outcome measures were completed on entry into the study, after completing AT or CR (post-I), after completing EXP (post-II), and at 3-month follow-up. For each outcome measure, effect sizes were computed for post-I, post-II, and follow-up. The SPAI-SP and SPAI-D tended to have the largest effect sizes, and the FNE-S and FQ-SP tended to yield the smallest effects. The results add to the growing body of research supporting the usefulness of the SPAI scales as a treatment-outcome measure for studies of generalized social phobia.
The development, reliability, and discriminative ability of a new instrument to assess social phobia are presented. The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) is an empirically derived instrument incorporating responses from the cognitive, somatic, and behavioral dimensions of social fear. The SPAI high test–retest reliability and good internal consistency. The instrument appears to be sensitive to the entire continuum of socially anxious concerns and is capable of differentiating social phobics from normal controls as well as from other anxiety patients. The utility of this instrument for improved assessment of social phobia and anxiety and its use as an aid for treatment planning are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Community norms are reported for the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; A. T. Beck, N. Epstein, G. Brown, & R. A. Steer, 1988), Fear Questionnaire (FQ; I. M. Marks & A. Mathews, 1979), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ; T. J. Meyer, M. L. Miller, R. L. Metzger, & T. D. Borkovec, 1990), and Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI; S. M. Turner, D. C. Beidel, C. V. Dancu, & M. A. Stanley, 1989). The demographic profile of the samples closely matched the 1990 U.S. national census. On the SPAI, women scored higher than men on the Agoraphobia subscale, and the lowest income group scored higher than higher income participants on the Difference and Social Phobia subscales. Participants under 45 years of age exceeded those aged 45–65 on the BAI, the PSWQ, and FQ Social Phobia, Blood/Injury, and Total Phobia scores. Percentile scores are provided for all measures, as well as discussion of their usefulness for assessing clinical significance of therapy outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This article provides psychometric information on the second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI–II; A. T. Beck, R. A. Steer, & G. K. Brown, 1996), with respect to internal consistency, factorial validity, and gender differences. Both measures demonstrated high internal reliability in the full student sample. Significant differences between the mean BDI and BDI-II scores necessitated the development of new cutoffs for analogue research on the BDI–II. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a 2-factor solution optimally summarized the data for both versions of the inventory and accounted for a cumulative 41% and 46% of the common variance in BDI and BDI–II responses, respectively. These factor solutions were reliably cross-validated, although the importance of each factor varied by gender. The authors conclude that the BDI–II is a stronger instrument than the BDI in terms of its factor structure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Although the Fear Questionnaire (FQ) has been widely used, its psychometric properties for anxiety disorder patients are still unclear. This study reports the psychometric properties of the FQ with a sample of 251 (178 female and 73 male) anxiety disorder patients. Factor analysis showed a clear 3-factor solution that accounted for 42% of the variance. The 3 factors corresponded to the 3 FQ subscales: Agoraphobia (FQ-Ag), Social Phobia (FQ-Soc), and Blood/Injury Phobia. All subscales had moderate-to-high Cronbach's alpha coefficients (range = .71–.83). Patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia (AG) or social phobia (SOC) were discriminated on the basis of the FQ subscales but not the FQ Total. Generalized anxiety disorder patients could not be discriminated using FQ subscales. Also, these findings showed that the psychometric properties of the FQ Anxiety/Depression subscale were sound. Normative data for these patients are presented. The findings suggest that AG patients and SOC patients can be differentiated from other diagnostic groups on the basis of responses to the questionnaire particularly using the FQ-Ag and FQ-Soc. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Psychometric properties of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) (Beck and Steer, 1990) were investigated in a sample of 82 patients suffering from panic disorder with agoraphobia. Before and after brief treatment, patients completed a battery of questionnaires and, for 2-week periods, kept a daily panic diary in which they recorded panic attacks, fear of panic, and average anxiety. The BAI demonstrated excellent internal consistency and good test–retest reliability over a 5-week interval. A partial multitrait, multimethod correlation matrix provided evidence of convergent validity with other measures of anxiety and of divergent validity vis á vis measures of depression. Factor analyses of pretest scores and residual gain scores used to address criticism that the BAI is excessively panic-centric yielded mixed results. In one analysis, the BAI was loaded with multimethod measures of panic and anxiety and, in the other, with questionnaire methods of assessing anxiety and depression. However, the BAI was clearly distinguished from measures of fear of fear, a central construct in panic disorder, and agoraphobic avoidance. Finally, the BAI proved sensitive to change with treatment, yielding effect sizes for improvement comparable to those of other anxiety measures. Depression and Anxiety 6:140–146, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The development of a 21-item self-report inventory for measuring the severity of anxiety in psychiatric populations is described. The initial item pool of 86 items was drawn from three preexisting scales: the Anxiety Checklist, the Physician’s Desk Reference Checklist, and the Situational Anxiety Checklist. A series of analyses was used to reduce the item pool. The resulting Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) is a 21-item scale that showed high internal consistency (α = .92) and test—retest reliability over 1 week, r (81) = .75. The BAI discriminated anxious diagnostic groups (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, etc.) from nonanxious diagnostic groups (major depression, dysthymic disorder, etc). In addition, the BAI was moderately correlated with the revised Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, r (150) = .51, and was only mildly correlated with the revised Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, r (153) = .25.
Results of a study with 211 college students indicate that Ss high and moderate in anxiety perceived the same feedback as being more negative than did lows. In addition, high-anxiety Ss had a greater expectancy that others would evaluate them negatively.
Twenty-eight subjects meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (rev. 3rd ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) criteria for social phobia and without a comorbid affective disorder and 33 nonclinical controls were asked to present a brief, impromptu speech to a small audience. Speakers themselves, as well as members of the audience, rated each speaker on a public speaking questionnaire that included both specific items (e.g., voice shook) and global items (e.g., appeared confident). For global items, no significant difference was indicated between the two groups on observers' ratings of public speaking performance. However, social phobics rated their own performance worse than did nonclinical controls, and there was a significantly greater discrepancy between self and other ratings for social phobics than controls. Fear of negative evaluation was the only significant predictor of the self-other discrepancy on global items.
Reports the specification of a construct of social anxiety, the subsequent development of 2 scales, and validational studies. The Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE) and the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SAD) were given to 358 undergraduates. 3 experiments and other correlational data are presented. People high in SAD tended to avoid social interactions, preferred to work alone, reported that they talked less, were more worried and less confident about social relationships, but were more likely to appear for appointments. Those high in FNE tended to become nervous in evaluative situations, and worked hard either to avoid disapproval or gain approval. Certain convergent and discriminant relationships had been part of the construct of social anxiety, and the correlational data support these differentiations. (17 ref.)
Global self-esteem based on M. Rosenberg's (1965) scale is typically treated as a unidimensional scale. However, factor analyses suggest separate factors associated with positively and negatively worded items, and there is an ongoing debate about the substantive meaningfulness of this distinction. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate alternative 1- and 2-factor models and to test hypotheses about how the factors vary with reading ability and age. Responses based on the National Longitudinal Study of 1988 (S.J. Ingles et al., 1992) reflected a relatively unidimensional factor and method effects associated with negatively worded items. Such effects are common in rating scale responses, and this CFA approach may be useful in evaluating whether factors associated with positively and negatively worded items are substantively meaningful or artifactors.
In order to assess the psychometric properties and diagnostic utility of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) with older adults, these measures were administered to 217 older adult outpatients with mixed psychiatric disorders. Both the BAI and STAI scales demonstrated high internal reliabilities. The BAI demonstrated good factorial validity, with a somatic anxiety and a subjective anxiety factor emerging. In contrast, the STAI did not evidence factorial validity, with analyses failing to support presence of state and trait anxiety factors. Both the BAI and Trait Anxiety scale of the STAI demonstrated discriminant validity in separating patients with a current anxiety disorder from patients without such a disorder. However, the State Anxiety scale of the STAI did not discriminate between these groups. When used to predict presence of an anxiety disorder, no single cutting score for either the BAI or STAI proved optimal, due to tradeoffs between sensitivity and specificity. Results suggest that both the subjective subscale and total score on the BAI can be somewhat useful as a quick screening instrument in detecting presence of a current anxiety disorder for older adult psychiatric outpatients, although results were not as strong as previous findings regarding screening tests for depression in the elderly.
Increasing evidence suggests that anxiety sensitivity (AS) may be a premorbid risk factor for the development of anxiety pathology. The principal aim of this study was to replicate and extend a previous longitudinal study evaluating whether AS acts as a vulnerability factor in the pathogenesis of panic (N. Schmidt, D. Lerew, & R. Jackson, 1997). A large nonclinical sample of young adults (N = 1,296) was prospectively followed over a 5-week, highly stressful period of time (i.e., military basic training). Consistent with the authors' initial study, AS predicted the development of spontaneous panic attacks after controlling for a history of panic attacks and trait anxiety, and AS was found to possess symptom specificity with respect to anxiety versus depression symptoms. AS 1st-order factors differentially predicted panic attacks, with the Mental Concerns factor being the best predictor of panic in this sample.
Statistical methods designed for categorical data were used to perform confirmatory factor analyses and item response theory (IRT) analyses of the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (FNE; D. Watson & R. Friend, 1969) and the Brief FNE (BFNE; M. R. Leary, 1983). Results suggested that a 2-factor model fit the data better for both the FNE and the BFNE, although the evidence was less strong for the FNE. The IRT analyses indicated that although both measures had items with good discrimination, the FNE items discriminated only at lower levels of the underlying construct, whereas the BFNE items discriminated across a wider range. Convergent validity analyses indicated that the straightforwardly-worded items on each scale had significantly stronger relationships with theoretically related measures than did the reverse-worded items. On the basis of all analyses, usage of the straightforwardly-worded BFNE factor is recommended for the assessment of fear of negative evaluation.
Written by renowned therapists, this Workbook includes all the information patients need to learn the appropriate skills to combat anxiety and worry. For use in conjunction with supervised therapy, this online guide helps patients become an active participant in treatment. It includes user-friendly devices to help overcome excessive worry, such as self-assessment quizzes, homework exercises, and case studies of individuals experiencing the same issues. It also includes interactive forms to help monitor progress throughout treatment.
Global self-esteem based on M. Rosenberg's (1965) scale is typically treated as a unidimensional scale. However, factor analyses suggest separate factors associated with positively and negatively worded items, and there is an ongoing debate about the substantive meaningfulness of this distinction. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate alternative 1- and 2-factor models and to test hypotheses about how the factors vary with reading ability and age. Responses based on the National Longitudinal Study of 1988 (S. J. Ingles et al., 1992) reflected a relatively unidimensional factor and method effects associated with negatively worded items. Such effects are common in rating stale responses, and this CFA approach may be useful in evaluating whether factors associated with positively and negatively worded items are substantively meaningful or artifactors.
Reviewed 23 studies with 18,627 Ss to explore 5 areas of the literature on nonclinical panickers (NCPs): (1) prevalence of panic attacks (PATs) and factors affecting prevalence rates, (2) panic symptom profile, (3) measures of psychopathology, (4) family history of PATs, and (5) psychophysiological responses to challenge tasks. Results suggest that (1) reported prevalence of PATs depends on the way PATs are defined and measured; (2) the symptom profile of nonclinical panic is consistent; (3) levels of associated depressed and anxious mood are consistent and show that the scores of NCPs fall between those of nonpanickers and clinical panickers; (4) NCPs, compared with nonpanickers, report a higher prevalence of family members experiencing PATs; and (5) psychophysiological responses to challenge tasks show both similarities and differences to those of nonpanickers and clinical patients. The requirement that nonclinical panic be spontaneous in nature is not valid. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
[discuss] the 3-response-systems approach (i.e., overt behavior, physiology, and self-report) [to comprehensive behavioral assessment of social phobia] / focus on adult assessment / considers social anxiety and phobia from a broad perspective, rejecting arbitrary distinctions within psychology and related fields concerning nomenclature and definitional issues / [review] previous integrative writings on behavioral assessment of social phobia / works on social skills assessment are referenced as well (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This chapter describes and evaluates the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), a 21-item self-report instrument for measuring the severity of anxiety in adolescents and adults. A summary of the research investigating the reliability, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, construct and convergent validity, discriminant validity, and factorial validity is offered. Sex, age, ethnic, and diagnostic effects of the BAI are also presented. The chapter concludes with applications, benefits and limitations of the BAI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
151 college students to whom the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) was administered in 1984 were retested in 1987 for anxiety sensitivity and tested for panic attacks, state-trait anxiety, and anxiety disorder history. ASI scores in 1984 predicted the frequency and intensity of panic attacks in 1987. Compared to Ss with low 1984 ASI scores, Ss with high 1984 ASI scores were 5 times more likely to have an anxiety disorder during the period 1984 to 1987. Test-retest reliability for the ASI across 3 yrs was .71. Data provide evidence for the stability of anxiety sensitivity over time and that the concept of anxiety sensitivity should be considered a personality variable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Evaluated a scale for measuring anxiety sensitivity (i.e., the belief that anxiety symptoms have negative consequences), the Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI), in 76 7th–9th graders and 33 emotionally disturbed children (aged 8–15 yrs). The CASI had sound psychometric properties for both samples. The view that anxiety sensitivity is a separate concept from that of anxiety frequency and that it is a concept applicable with children was supported. The CASI correlated with measures of fear and anxiety and accounted for variance on the Fear Survey Schedule for Children—Revised and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (Trait form) that could not be explained by a measure of anxiety frequency. The possible role of anxiety sensitivity as a predisposing factor in the development of anxiety disorder in children is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Several exploratory factor-analytic studies of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988) have reported two, four, and five factors. This study evaluated the fit of four competing models to data provided by a sample of 350 undergraduates. Results of the initial confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) provided strong support for the fit of the four-factor oblique model. Next, we respecified the four-factor model as a single second-order BAI. Results showed that the second-order model also provided adequate fit to the data. Evidence also supported the psychometric indices of reliability and convergent validity. Finally, we examined the relation of the BAI to several demographic variables. Limitations of the study are discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Although the Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) Scale has widespread applicability to many areas of research in personality and social psychology, its utility is sometimes limited by its length. This article presents a brief, 12-item version of the FNE that correlates very highly (f96) with the original scale and that demonstrates psychometric properties that are nearly identical to those of the full-length scale.
The present investigations examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of two new self-report measures of social phobia, the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS). A confirmatory factor analysis in Study I provided support for the fit of a two-factor model of the SIAS and SPS. Internal consistency estimates were high for the original two scales with a sample of 200 undergraduates. Also, using an item parceling procedure, the obtained internal consistency reliability indices for each parcel were acceptable. Results of the CFA in Study II provided support for the factorial stability of the model identified in Study I. Furthermore, multisample analyses showed invariant patterns for factor loadings and factor correlations across 138 men and 272 women. Gender differences were not observed in the mean SIAS and SPS scale and item scores. Both scales correlated negatively and significantly with measures of social desirability. Concurrent validity was established for the scales. The SPS was less specific than the SIAS to symptoms of social phobia.
Forty-nine patients participated in a study comparing cognitive-behavioral group treatment (CBGT) for social phobia with a credible placebo control. CBGT consisted of exposure to simulated phobic events, cognitive restructuring of maladaptive thoughts, and homework for self-directed exposure and cognitive restructuring between sessions. Control patients received a treatment package consisting of lecture-discussion and group support that was comparable to CBGT on measures of treatment credibility and outcome expectations. At pretest, posttest, and 3- and 6-month follow-ups, patients completed assessments that included clinician ratings, self-report measures, and behavioral, physiological, and cognitive-subjective measures derived from a behavioral simulation of a personally relevant phobic event. Both groups improved on most measures, but, at both posttest and follow-up, CBGT patients were rated as more improved than controls and reported less anxiety before and during the behavioral test. At follow-up, CBGT patients also reported significantly fewer negative and more positive self-statements than controls on a thought-listing task following the behavioral test. Regardless of treatment condition, follow-up changes in clinician-rated phobic severity were significantly related to changes on the thought-listing measure.
Twenty-six participants who met conservative criteria for having experienced one or more panic attacks were compared with 26 nonpanickers on various measures associated with panic attacks. In addition, regression analyses were used to determine if anxiety sensitivity or suffocation fears better predicted panic frequency and panic related phenomena (e.g., agoraphobic avoidance). The results showed the anxiety sensitivity was the better predictor of agoraphobic avoidance and perceived seriousness of the panic attacks. Both suffocation fears and anxiety sensitivity predicted bodily sensations associated with panic attacks with suffocation fears contributing the greater amount of unique variance. The importance and value of using nonclinical panickers (NPAs) is discussed in relation to our understanding of panic attacks and panic disorder. Recommendations for defining NPAs are provided.
According to Reiss and McNally's expectancy theory, a high level of anxiety sensitivity (“fear of anxiety”) increases the risk for anxiety disorders, and plays a particularly important role in panic disorder (PD). There has yet to be a comprehensive comparison of anxiety sensitivity across the anxiety disorders. Using a measure of anxiety sensitivity known as the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), we assessed 313 patients, representing each of the six DSM-III-R anxiety disorders. ASI scores associated with each anxiety disorder were greater than those of normal controls, with the exception of simple phobia. The latter was in the normal range. The ASI scores associated with PD were significantly higher than those of the other anxiety disorders, with the exception of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There was a trend for the ASI scores associated with PD to be greater than those associated with PTSD. Analysis of the ASI item responses revealed that PD patients scored significantly higher than PTSD patients on items more central to the concept of anxiety sensitivity, as determined by principal components analysis. The pattern of results did not change when trait anxiety was used as a covariate. The implications for the expectancy theory are considered, and directions for further investigation are outlined.
Reliability, factor structure, and factor independence from other anxiety measures for the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) was assessed. One hundred and twenty-two anxious college students were administered the ASI, Cognitive-Somatic Anxiety Questionnaire, and the Reactions to Relaxation and Arousal Questionnaire. The results suggest that the ASI is a reliable measure which is factorially independent of other anxiety measures. Further, the ASI was supported as a measure of the variable anxiety sensitivity which has been suggested as an important personality variable in fear behavior.
A one-page self-rating form is described to monitor change in phobic patients. It is derived from earlier versions used in 1000 phobic club members and 300 phobic patients. The form yields four scores: main phobia, global phobia, total phobia and anxiety-depression. The total phobia score is composed of agoraphobia, social and blood-injury subgroups. The form is short, reliable and valid. Adoption of this standard form for research in clinical populations would facilitate comparison of results across centres and studies.
The present study examined responses on the Fear Questionnaire (FQ) of 68 patients suffering panic disorder with agoraphobia, 50 social phobics, 75 subjects with 'non-clinical' panic attacks, and 188 non-panicking controls. The FQ agoraphobia and social subscales had satisfactory internal consistency and were accurate (82%) in correctly differentiating the patients. In general, the patient and control groups differed as expected. The highest level of social fear was reported by social phobics and the highest level of agoraphobic fear was reported by patients with panic disorder and agoraphobia. Five items from these two subscales significantly differentiated social phobia from panic disorder with agoraphobia. The results support the reliability and validity of the FQ.
Turner, McCanna and Beidel's (1987) recent evaluation of the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS) and the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE) with anxiety disordered patients concluded that the SADS and FNE lacked discriminant validity and may be inappropriate for subject selection or outcome evaluation in studies of social phobia. This paper raises some concerns with the interpretation of the data presented by Turneret at. (1987) and presents additional data from studies in our laboratories that may qualify their conclusions. It is asserted that (a) the SADS and FNE are not appropriate for diagnostic screening of social phobic patients, (b) Turner et al.'s findings may have been the result of clinically meaningful social anxiety in several of the anxiety disorders, (c) significant differences among the anxiety disorders may have been hidden by heterogeneity among patients who receive the diagnosis of social phobia, and (d) the distribution of FNE scores in Turner et al.'s sample may have been unusually depressed.
The Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SAD) and the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE), two commonly accepted measures of social anxiety, were administered to a large group of patients diagnosed as having Agoraphobia with Panic Attacks, Agoraphobia without Panic Attacks, Social Phobia, Simple Phobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. On the SAD and FNE, social phobies did not differ significantly from the other major anxiety disorders, with the exception of simple phobies. Performance on the SAD and FNE was significantly correlated with measures of anxiety, depression and general emotional distress. The lack of discriminative validity of the SAD and FNE is discussed.
Forty subjects, meeting DSM-III criteria for agoraphobia completed, on two occasions, a comprehensive assessment battery. Measures encompassed anxiety, phobia, depression and general symptomatology dimensions of functioning, and consisted of instruments widely employed as outcome measures in agoraphobia research. The test-retest time periods were divided into 4-, 10- and 16-week intervals to ascertain their temporal stability, an often ignored parameter of reliability. The results indicate that agoraphobia, anxiety, depression and general symptomatology measures were temporally stable. However, test-retest reliabilities of the scales' subscores were generally inferior to those of the total score. The findings are discussed, with recommendations for more programmatic psychometric research in the assessment of anxiety disorders.
The self-report measures of social anxiety that are commonly used in social psychological and personality research confound the measurement of social anxiousness with the measurement of specific behaviors that often, but not always, accompany social anxiety. Theoretical and methodological issues regarding this problem are discussed, and two new scales are presented that measure interaction and audience anxiousness independent of specific social behaviors. Psychometric data show the scales to possess high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, as well as strong evidence of construct and criterion validity.