Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI)

Abstract

The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) is a self-report instrument designed to comprehensively assess the specific fears, avoidance behaviors, and somatic symptoms associated with Social Phobia (now referred to as Social Anxiety Disorder). Developed by Turner, Beidel, Dancu, and Stanley in 1989, the SPAI is unique in its capacity to discriminate between social fears and fears related to Agoraphobia, addressing a critical need in clinical differential diagnosis. The scale is structured to measure anxiety across various types of social interactions, public performance, and physiological arousal in social settings, thereby providing a detailed profile of social anxiety severity.

Keywords

Social Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, Anxiety Inventory, Agoraphobia, Psychological Assessment, Self-Report Scale, Behavioral Avoidance, Clinical Diagnosis

Authors

Samuel M. Turner, Deborah C. Beidel, Carol V. Dancu, and Melanie A. Stanley

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) is to provide an empirically derived and psychometrically sound measure for assessing the extent and severity of social fears and anxiety in adults. Clinically, the SPAI serves as a valuable tool for differential diagnosis, helping practitioners distinguish between symptoms characteristic of Social Anxiety Disorder and those associated with other anxiety disorders, particularly Agoraphobia. Furthermore, it is designed to measure treatment outcome by tracking changes in specific fears and avoidance behaviors over time.

Construct

The SPAI measures the psychological construct of social anxiety, conceptualized as a chronic fear of scrutiny or negative evaluation by others in social or performance situations. The inventory captures three main components of this construct: cognitive distress (troublesome thoughts, self-consciousness), behavioral avoidance (leaving or avoiding social situations), and physiological/somatic symptoms (blushing, shaking, heart palpitations).

Notably, the SPAI contains items (items 33-45) specifically intended to measure non-social fears (e.g., fear of being alone, public transport, crowded places), allowing for the calculation of a Social Anxiety score separate from an Agoraphobia score, thereby enhancing its clinical utility in distinguishing between these related but distinct anxiety disorders.

Validity

Extensive research has supported the validity of the SPAI. Studies have demonstrated strong concurrent validity, showing high correlations with other established measures of social anxiety, such as the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, particularly within clinical samples diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder.

Construct Validity was established through factor analytic studies demonstrating that the scale accurately measures the intended multifaceted nature of social fears, and crucially, its ability to differentiate social anxiety from non-social anxiety constructs, such as panic-agoraphobia spectrum symptoms. The SPAI has also demonstrated sensitivity to clinically significant change following therapeutic interventions, further supporting its clinical utility.

Reliability

The SPAI exhibits strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability, which are foundational requirements for a clinical assessment tool. Although specific coefficient values are not detailed in the summary items, published studies (e.g., Turner et al., 1989; Beidel et al., 1993) confirm high internal reliability (typically high alpha coefficients) across the total scale and its primary subscales, ensuring that the items consistently measure the underlying construct of social anxiety.

Factor Analysis

The adult version of the SPAI (1989) was empirically derived and structured to reflect the complex nature of social phobia, which includes fears of general social interaction, public performance, and physiological symptoms. A key outcome of its factor analysis is the separation of social fears from agoraphobic fears, which contributes significantly to differential diagnosis.

A separate version, the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C), developed by Beidel, Turner, and Morris in 1995, resulted in a three-factor structure for childhood social anxiety:

• Factor 1—Assertiveness/General Conversation: Reflects anxiety in active social interactions, assertiveness challenges, and negative self-talk (e.g., “something said that is wrong or bad,” “someone starts arguing”).
• Factor 2—Traditional Social Encounters: Focuses on avoidance and somatic symptoms associated with general social gatherings (e.g., parties, dances, school interactions, and avoidance behaviors).
• Factor 3—Public Performance: Measures anxiety related to performing or being observed (e.g., speaking aloud, answering questions in class, being the center of attention).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Inventory (Psychometric Scale)

Format: 45 items (Adult SPAI) or 26 items (SPAI-C), typically rated on a 7-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English (with translations available in subsequent research).

Population Group: Clinical and Non-clinical populations exhibiting social fears or anxiety disorders.

Age Group: Adolescents (SPAI-C) and Adults (SPAI).

Population Details: The adult version (SPAI) was standardized and validated using clinical samples diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder, as well as control groups.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the frequency of their anxious feelings, avoidance behaviors, and somatic symptoms in specific social situations using a 7-point scale, typically ranging from 1 (Never) to 7 (Always). The rating scale provided is: 1=Never, 2=Very Infrequent, 3=Infrequent, 4= Sometimes, 5= Frequent, 6= Very Frequent, 7= Always.

Keywords

Social Anxiety Disorder, Differential Diagnosis, Clinical Assessment, Psychometrics, Social Interaction Anxiety, Public Speaking Fears, Behavioral Therapy

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source content.

Correspondence Address: The entire factor loading table for the SPAI-C is available upon request from Deborah C. Beidel (as of 1995).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original publication year of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) is 1989 (Turner, Beidel, Dancu, & Stanley). The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C) was published in 1995 (Beidel, Turner, & Morris). Information regarding current commercial permissions or licensing fees is not provided in the source material, though the instrument is widely used in academic research.

The instrument can be found online at: https://idea.library.drexel.edu/islandora/object/idea%3A346/datastream/OBJ/view.

A downloadable file (likely the original PDF) is available here: http://tracy_morris.psychology.wvu.edu/r/download/109815.

Reference’s

• Beidel, D.C., Borden, J.W., Turner, S.M., & Jacob, R.G. (1989). The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory: Concurrent validity with a clinical sample. Behavioural Research and Therapy, 27, 573-576.
• Beidel, D.C., Turner, S.M., & Cooley, M.R. (1993). Assessing reliable and clinically significant change in social phobia: Validity of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory. Behavioural Research and Therapy, 31, 331-337.
• Beidel, D.C., Turner, S.M., Stanley, M.A., & Dancu, C.V. (1989). The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory: Concurrent and external validity. Behavior Therapy, 20, 417-427.
• Turner, S.M., Beidel, D.C., Dancu, C.V., & Stanley, M.A. (1989). An empirically derived inventory to measure social fears and anxiety: The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 1, 35-40.
• Turner, S.M., Stanley, M.A., Beidel, D.C., & Bond, L. (1989). The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory: Construct Validity. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 11, 221-234.
• Beidel, D.C., Turner, S.M., Morris, T.L. (1995). A New Inventory to Assess Childhood Social Anxiety and Phobia: The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children. Psychological Assessment, 7(1), 73-79.
• Casten, Kircia Marie., Herbert, James D. (2004). Marital Functioning and Communication in a Clinical Sample of Social Anxiety Disorder Clients. Drexel University. Doctoral dissertation.

Items of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I feel anxious when entering social situations where there is a small group.

2. I feel anxious when entering social situations where there is a large group.

3. I feel anxious when I am in a social situation and I become the center of attention.

4. I feel anxious when I am in a social situation and I am expected to engage in some activity.

5. I feel anxious when making a speech in front of an audience.

6. I feel anxious when speaking in a small informal meeting.

7. I feel so anxious about attending social gatherings that I avoid these situations.

8. I feel so anxious in social situations that I leave the social gathering.

9. I feel anxious when in a small gathering with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

10. I feel anxious when in a large gathering with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

11. I feel anxious when in a bar or restaurant with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

12. I feel anxious and I do not know what to do when in a new situation with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

13. I feel anxious and I do not know what to do when in a situation involving confrontation with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

14. I feel anxious and I do not know what to do when in an embarrassing situation with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

15. I feel anxious when discussing intimate feelings with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

16. I feel anxious when stating an opinion to:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

17. I feel anxious when talking about business with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

18. I feel anxious when approaching and/or initiating a conversation with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

19. I feel anxious when ha‎ving to interact for longer than a few minutes with:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

20. I feel anxious when drinking (any type of beverage) and/or eating in front of:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

21. I feel anxious when writing or typing in front of:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

22. I feel anxious when speaking in front of:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

23. I feel anxious when being criticized or rejected by:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

24. I attempt to avoid social situations where there are:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

25. I leave social situations where there are:

• a. Strangers
• b. Authority Figures
• c. Opposite sex
• d. People in general

26. Before entering a social situation I think about all the things that can go wrong. The types of thoughts I experience are:

• a. Will I be dressed properly?
• b. I will probably make a mistake and look foolish.
• c. What if no one speaks to me?
• d. If there is a lag in the conversation what can I talk about?

27. I feel anxious before entering a social situation.

28. My voice leaves me or changes when I am talking in a social situation.

29. I am not likely to speak to people until they speak to me.

30. I experience troublesome thoughts when I am in a social setting. For example:

• a. I wish I could leave and avoid the whole situation.
• b. If I mess up again I will really lose my confidence.
• c. What kind of impression am I making?
• d. Whatever I say it will probably sound stupid.

31. I experience the following prior to entering a social situation:

• a. Sweating
• b. Blushing
• c. Shaking
• d. Frequent urge to urinate
• e. Heart palpitations

32. I experience the following in a social situation:

• a. Sweating
• b. Blushing
• c. Shaking
• d. Frequent urge to urinate
• e. Heart palpitations

33. I feel anxious when I am home alone.

34. I feel anxious when I am in a strange place.

35. I feel anxious when I am on any form of public transportation (i.e., bus, train, airplane).

36. I feel anxious when crossing streets.

37. I feel anxious when I am in crowed places (i.e., stores, church, movies, restaurants, etc.).

38. Being in large open spaces makes me feel anxious.

39. I feel anxious when I am in enclosed places (elevators, tunnels, etc.).

40. Being in high places make me feel anxious (i.e., tall buildings).

41. I feel anxious when waiting in a long line.

42. There are times when I feel like I have to hold on to things because I am afraid I will fall.

43. When I leave home and go to various public places, I go with a family member or friend.

44. I feel anxious when riding in a car.

45. There are certain places I do not go because I may feel trapped.