The social phobia and anxiety inventory: Concurrent and external validity

Abstract

The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) is a newly developed instrument to measure social phobia and social anxiety. In this report, the concurrent and external validity of the scale were examined. The results indicate that the SPAI successfully discriminates social phobics from non-social phobics, accurately predicts social distress, and has some ability to predict the occurrence of specific behaviors in social situations. In addition, the results suggest that the ratings made by a significant other closely matched the individual's own ratings of social distress, indicating a degree of external validity.