Scale-Description

The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) is an assessment tool designed to measure anxiety related to social interactions. Developed by Mattick and Clarke in 1998, this scale assesses the anxiety people experience during various social interactions, such as talking to others or participating in social activities
The scale consists of 20 items focusing on feelings of anxiety and insecurity in social situations. Participants are asked to rate how much anxiety they experience in different social contexts.

Data Analysis and Usage

Data Analysis: Analyzing data from the SIAS involves evaluating responses to 20 items. Each item is rated on a Likert scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (very much). The total score is obtained by summing the scores for all items.
Data Collection: Participants complete the SIAS, rating their experiences based on their personal feelings.
Score Calculation: Scores for each item are summed to produce a total social interaction anxiety score.
Score Analysis: The total score helps to assess the level of social interaction anxiety. Additionally, analysis can explore the relationship between anxiety levels and other factors, such as social performance or quality of social relationships.
Analysis includes evaluating the scale’s reliability (e.g., internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha) and validity (e.g., comparisons with other social anxiety scales or clinical assessments).

Purpose

The primary goal of the SIAS is to provide a reliable method for assessing anxiety related to social interactions. The tool aims to understand the level of social anxiety an individual experiences, aiding in monitoring treatment progress and making clinical decisions.

Calibration

The calibration of the SIAS involves validating the scale through reliability and validity assessments:
Internal Consistency: Evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha to ensure that the scale items are coherent and measure the same dimension of social anxiety.
Validity: Includes comparisons with other social anxiety scales and clinical evaluations to confirm that the SIAS effectively measures social anxiety.

Bibliography

Mattick, R. P., & Clarke, J. C. (1998). Development and validation of measures of social phobia, social interaction anxiety, and social avoidance and distress. Behavior Research and Therapy, 36(4), 455-470.
Heimberg, R. G., Mueller, G. P., Holt, C. S., Hope, D. A., & Liebowitz, M. R. (1995). Assessment of social phobia: The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale. In Assessing Psychological Disorders (pp. 103-111). Guilford Press.
Fresco, D. M., Coles, M. E., Heimberg, R. G., & Liebowitz, M. R. (2001). The role of social avoidance in social anxiety disorder: A review of the literature. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 15(1), 55-68.