The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS): Psychometric Properties of the Amharic Version in Ethiopian University Student Sample

AbstractObjectiveSocial anxiety is a common problem in psychotic disorders. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating version (LSAS-SR) is a widely used instrument to capture different aspects of social anxiety, but its psychometric properties have not been tested in this patient group. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the psychometric properties of the LSAS-SR in patients with first episode psychosis, to investigate whether it differentiated between active and passive social withdrawal and to test which clinical factors contributed to current level of social anxiety.MethodA total of 144 first episode psychosis patients from the ongoing Thematically Organized Psychosis (TOP) study were included at the time of first treatment. Diagnoses were set according to the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-1) for DSM-IV. A factor analysis was carried out and the relationship of social anxiety to psychotic and general symptomatology measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was evaluated. Possible contributors to social anxiety were analyzed using multiple hierarchic regression analysis.ResultsThe factor analysis identified three subscales: public performance, social interaction and observation. All three subscales showed satisfactory psychometric properties, acceptable convergent and discriminate properties, and confirmed previous findings in social anxiety samples. Self-esteem explained a significant amount of the variance in social anxiety, even after adjusting for the effects of delusions, suspiciousness and depression.ConclusionThe study shows that the LSAS-SR can be used in this patient group, that social anxiety is strongly related to both behavioral social avoidance and to self-esteem. The results support the use of this measure in assessment of social anxiety in both clinical settings and in research.

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Psychometric properties and three proposed subscales of a self-report version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale translated into Hebrew

Depression and Anxiety ◽

10.1002/da.10064 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 143-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Jennifer B. Levin ◽

Sofi Marom ◽

Shay Gur ◽

Daniel Wechter ◽

Haggai Hermesh

Keyword(s):

Social Anxiety ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Anxiety Scale ◽

Self Report ◽

Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale

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Establishing the Psychometric Properties of the Self-Report Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents in a General Population Adolescent Sample

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000659 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Eleanor Leigh ◽

David M. Clark

Keyword(s):

Social Anxiety ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Avoidance Performance ◽

Anxiety Scale ◽

The Self ◽

Self Report ◽

Language Version ◽

Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale

Abstract. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (LSAS-CA) is a valid and reliable clinician-administered measure of social anxiety symptoms in young people. It has been adapted for self-report completion, and although the psychometric properties of this version of the scale have been examined in Spanish, Hebrew, and French language versions, this has not yet been done for the English language version. In the present study, we examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the self-report version of the scale (LSAS-CA-SR) in a sample of UK adolescents recruited from schools. The factor structure of the scale was determined in our sample of N = 829; a four-factor structure, with interaction anxiety, interaction avoidance, performance anxiety, and performance-avoidance subscales, provided the best fit to the data. Measurement invariance of the scale was demonstrated across age and gender. Psychometric properties of the scale were sound, with good internal consistency (.88–.97), acceptable test-retest reliability (.45–.57), and evidence for convergent and divergent validity.

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Psychometric properties of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale in a large cross-cultural Spanish and Portuguese speaking sample

Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1590/1516-4446-2018-0006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 122-130

Author(s):

Vicente E. Caballo ◽

Isabel C. Salazar ◽

Víctor Arias ◽

Stefan G. Hofmann ◽

Joshua Curtiss

Keyword(s):

Social Anxiety ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Anxiety Scale ◽

Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale

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The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale: a comparison of the psychometric properties of self-report and clinician-administered formats

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291701004056 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 1025-1035 ◽

Cited By ~ 459

Author(s):

D. M. FRESCO ◽

M. E. COLES ◽

R. G. HEIMBERG ◽

M. R. LIEBOWITZ ◽

S. HAMI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Social Anxiety ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Social Anxiety Disorder ◽

Discriminant Validity ◽

Subscale Score ◽

Primary Diagnosis ◽

Anxiety Scale ◽

Self Report ◽

Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale

Background. The clinician-administered version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS-CA) is a commonly used assessment device for the evaluation of social anxiety disorder and has been shown to have strong psychometric characteristics. Because of its apparently straightforward rating format and potential savings in time and effort, interest in the use of the LSAS as a self-report (LSAS-SR) measure has increased, and the LSAS-SR has been used in a number of studies. However, the psychometric properties of the LSAS-SR have not been well established.Methods. This study examined the psychometric properties of the LSAS-SR in comparison to the LSAS-CA in a sample of 99 individuals with a primary diagnosis of social anxiety disorder and 53 individuals with no current psychiatric disorder.Results. There was little difference between the two versions of the LSAS on any scale or subscale score. Both forms were internally consistent and the subscale intercorrelations for the two forms were essentially identical. Correlations of each LSAS-SR index with its LSAS-CA counterpart were all highly significant. Finally, the convergent and discriminant validity of the two forms of the LSAS was shown to be strong.Conclusion. Results of this study suggest that the self-report version of the LSAS compares well to the clinician-administered version and may be validly employed in the assessment of social anxiety disorder.

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