A NEW INVENTORY TO ASSESS CHILDHOOD SOCIAL ANXIETY AND PHOBIA - THE SOCIAL PHOBIA AND ANXIETY INVENTORY FOR CHILDREN

The development, reliability, and validity of a new instrument, the So cial Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C), is described. The results indicate that the SPAI-C has high test-retest reliability and internal consistency. In addition, an assessment of concurrent an d external validity indicates statistically significant correlations w ith commonly used self-report measures of general anxiety and fears an d parental reports of children's anxiety and social competence. The re sults of a factor analysis indicate that the scale consists of three f actors: Assertiveness/General Conversation, Traditional Social Encount ers, and Public Performance. Finally, scores on the SPAI-C successfull y differentiate socially anxious and non-socially-anxious children. Th e instrument appears to be a reliable and valid measure for childhood social anxiety and fear and may prove useful for improving clinical as sessment and documenting treatment outcome.