Nov 16, 2020  |   2 minute read

Social Anxiety | SPIN

Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN)

Recommended frequency: Every 2 weeks

Summary

The Social Phobia Inventory (“SPIN”) is a 17-item self-rating for social anxiety disorder (or social phobia). The scale is rated over the past week and includes items assessing each of the symptom domains of social anxiety disorder (fear, avoidance, and physiologic arousal). The SPIN was initially developed because the available self-rated social phobia scales did not assess the spectrum of fear, avoidance, and physiological symptoms, all of which are clinically important. The SPIN demonstrates solid psychometric properties and shows promise as a measurement for the screening and treatment response of social phobia.

Psychometric Properties

The SPIN has been shown by research to distinguish between individuals with and without social phobia, validly measures severity of illness, be sensitive to the reduction in symptoms over time, and discriminate between different treatments. In research, good test—retest reliability, internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity were obtained. A SPIN score of 19 distinguished between social phobia subjects and controls. The SPIN was responsive to change in symptoms over time and reflected different responses to active drugs  v. placebo. Factorial analysis identified five factors.

Sources:

  1. http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/176/4/379

The Scale

For each statement below, please select the number that best describes how you have been feeling during the last week:

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Scoring

The total SPIN score is calculated by adding up all of the items. A score above 19 appears to suggest a possibility of social anxiety and in research distinguished between social phobia and a control group. The possible range is between 0 and 68.

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Copyright Information

Connor KM, et al. Psychometric properties of the Social Phobia Inventory. Br J Psych 2000; 176: 379-386.