Psychometric properties and clinical cut-off scores of the Spanish version of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents

Versión portuguesa del Cuestionario de Evaluación de Dificultades Interpersonales en la Adolescencia: fiabilidad y validez

El objetivo de este estudio fue validar la versión portuguesa del Cuestionario de Evaluación de Dificultades Interpersonales para Adolescentes (CEDIA) usando una muestra de 369 estudiantes de 12 a 18 años (51 % chicas; M = 14.50; SD = 1.60). El análisis factorial exploratorio de componentes principales y rotación oblimin, identificó 4 factores relacionados (Asertividad, Relaciones Familiares y Amigos, Relaciones Heterosexuales y Hablar en Público) que explicaron el 43.45 % de la varianza. En el análisis factorial confirmatorio se analizaron tres modelos predefinidos: el modelo nulo (M0), el modelo de un factor (M1) y el modelo de cuatro factores relacionados (M4). M4 fue el modelo que mejor se ajustó a los datos. La consistencia interna y la fiabilidad test-retest para la puntuación total del CEDIA fueron apropiadas. La correlación del CEDIA con la puntuación total del Inventario de Ansiedad Escolar (IAES) fue positiva y con un tamaño del efecto moderado. Este resultado fue similar para los tres sistemas de respuesta de ansiedad escolar medidos por el IAES y algo más variable para las cinco subescalas situacionales del IAES. Además, la correlación del CEDIA con la Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SASA) fue positiva y pequeña para la subescala Aprensión y Miedo a la Evaluación Negativa (AFNE y moderada para la subescala Tensión e Inhibición en Situaciones Sociales (TISC). Finalmente, la correlación del CEDIA con el Internet Personality Inventory (IPI) fue positiva y moderada para la escala de Neuroticismo y negativa y pequeña para la escala Extraversión.

Null effects of therapy dog interaction on adolescent anxiety during a laboratory-based social evaluative stressor

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are increasingly popular as treatments to reduce anxiety. However, there is little empirical evidence testing the mechanisms of action in AAIs, especially among adolescents. We examined whether two possible mechanisms, social interaction and/or physical contact with a therapy dog, might reduce anxiety during a social stressor.

DESIGN AND METHODS

To test these mechanisms, we randomly assigned 75 adolescents with low, middle, and high levels of social anxiety to complete a laboratory-based social evaluative stressor in one of three conditions: social interaction with a therapy dog (no physical interaction), social plus physical interaction with a therapy dog, or no interaction with a therapy dog. We measured self-reported anxiety and autonomic reactivity during the social stressor to assess the effects of contact with a therapy dog.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

We found no evidence that the presence of a real dog, with or without the opportunity to touch it, reduced anxiety or autonomic reactivity or improved cognitive performance relative to the presence of a stuffed dog in the control condition, regardless of levels of preexisting social anxiety.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03249116.

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents in an Educational Setting

Social anxiety in adolescents oftentimes goes undetected because of the internalized nature of the disorder as well as adolescents’ reluctance to discuss their mental health. A reliable and valid self-report measure for assessing symptoms of social anxiety in adolescents for use in an educational setting is particularly important because of the burden that social anxiety can have in educational settings. This study aimed to test the previously proposed two-factor structure of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SASA), Apprehension and Fear of Negative Evaluation and Tension and Inhibition in Social Contact, in an adolescent sample ( n = 215; 12-18 years; 90 female) in Ireland using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). CFA validated the two-factor structure of the SASA previously found in Slovenian- and Spanish-speaking samples. Correlations with other measures of social anxiety also showed good validity for the SASA.

Short Form of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents among community and institutionalized Portuguese youths

Background/Objective: Social anxiety is a common issue arising in adolescence that can cause significant impairment and have detrimental consequences for development in the absence of treatment. In this study we examined the factor structure and the psychometric properties of a 12-item short form of the Portuguese-Language Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A-SF). Method: A community adolescent sample (N = 835) and a young offender sample (N = 244) completed the SAS-A, the Basic Empathy Scale and the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, cross gender and cross sample invariance, convergent and discriminant validity of the SAS-A-SF were analyzed. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 3-factor second-order model obtained the best fit.The results provided evidence that the SAS-A-SF is a psychometrically sound instrument that shows measurement invariance across genders and across samples, good reliability and positive correlations with empathy. Conclusions: The Portuguese version of SAS-A-SF is a useful, time-efficient tool for both researchers and practitioners who need to assess social anxiety, a relevant construct in adolescent psychopathology.

The Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents: Measurement Invariance and Psychometric Properties Among a School Sample of Portuguese Youths

Over the last decades there has been an increased interest in assessing social anxiety in adolescents. This study aims to validate the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) to Portuguese youth, and to examine its invariance across gender as well as its psychometric properties. The participants were 782 Portuguese youths (371 males, 411 females), with an average age of 15.87 years (SD = 1.72). The results support the original three-factor structure of the SAS-A, with measurement invariance being found across gender, with females scoring higher than males on two subscales. High levels of internal consistency were found. Positive associations with empathy demonstrated that high socially anxious adolescents have elevated empathy tendencies. Mostly null or low negative associations were found with measures of psychopathic traits, callous-unemotional traits and aggression. Study findings provide evidence that the SAS-A is a psychometrically sound instrument that shows measurement invariance between genders, good reliability and positive correlations with empathy.

An exploration into the role of depression and self-efficacy on township men who have sex with men's ability to engage in safer sexual practices

Men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa remain at particular risk of HIV infection. The Ukwazana baseline survey is the first to explore this risk in relation to psychological factors associated with unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). A cohort of 316 MSM from township peri-urban Cape Town took part in the survey. The survey found that 55.2% had engaged in UAI over the preceding 6 months. Depression was significantly associated with UAI. Respondents with self-efficacy scores less than two standard deviations above the mean were also more likely to have engaged in UAI. A Sobel test for mediation highlighted that the depression-UAI association was partially mediated by self-efficacy, indicating that most of the effect of depression on UAI was not covarying with self-efficacy. This study, therefore, highlights that both depression and self-efficacy should be considered factors to be addressed in HIV-prevention programmes aimed at peri-urban MSM.