Unravelling the phenotypic tangle of autistic, schizotypal and social anxiety traits: A Network Analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orestis Zavlis ◽  
Myles Jones
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Schizotypal Personality ◽  
The Social ◽  
Trait Level ◽  
General Adult Population

Substantial overlap exists between schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders, with part of that overlap hypothesised to be due to comorbid social anxiety. The current paper investigates the interactions and factor structure of these disorders at a personality trait level, through the lens of a network model. The items of the Autism Quotient (AQ), Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire Brief-Revised (SPQ-BR), and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (L-SAS) were combined and completed by 345 members of the general adult population. An Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA) on the AQ-SPQ-BR combined inventory revealed two communities (factors), which reflected the general autism and schizotypal phenotypes. An additional EGA on all inventories validated the AQ-SPQ-BR factor structure and revealed another community, Social Anxiety (L-SAS). A Network Analysis (NA) on all inventories revealed several moderately central subscales, which collectively reflected the social-interpersonal impairments of the three disorders. The current results suggest that a combination of recent network- and traditional factor-analytic techniques may present a fruitful approach to understanding the underlying structure as well as relation of different psychopathologies.

scholarly journals A Psychometric Analysis of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents Among Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Caregiver–Adolescent Agreement, Factor Structure, and Validity

Assessment ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hillary K. Schiltz ◽  
Brooke E. Magnus ◽  
Alana J. McVey ◽  
Angela D. Haendel ◽  
Bridget K. Dolan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Anxiety Scale ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychometric Analysis ◽  
The Social

Social anxiety is common among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An ongoing challenge for both research and clinical practice in ASD is the assessment of anxious symptomatology. Despite its widespread use in samples of youth with ASD, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) has not received psychometric evaluation within this population; thus, the validity of its use in research and clinical practice for ASD remains unclear. The present study conducted a psychometric analysis of caregiver and adolescent SAS-A forms in a sample of adolescents with ASD ( N = 197). Results revealed (1) poor caregiver–adolescent item-level agreement, (2) a two-factor structure, (3) lack of measurement invariance between reporters, and (4) modest evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, findings suggest that this measure demonstrates reasonable psychometric properties in an ASD sample. Lack of measurement invariance, however, calls for careful interpretation of research involving the SAS-A in ASD samples, particularly when the primary goal is to compare adolescent and caregiver reports. The implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

Psychometric Properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children in a Spanish Sample

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 961-969 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Olivares ◽  
Raquel Sánchez-García ◽  
José Antonio López-Pina ◽  
Ana Isabel Rosa-Alcázar
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Phobia ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Structure Reliability ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Encounters ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

The objectives of the present study were to adapt and analyze the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C; Beidel, Turner, & Morris, 1995) in a Spanish population. The SPAI-C was applied to a sample of 1588 children and adolescents with ages ranging from 10 to 17 years. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed a four-factor structure: Public performance, Assertiveness, Fear and avoidance/escape in social encounters, and Cognitive and psychophysiological interferences. Internal consistency was high (.90) and test-retest reliability was moderate (.56). Significant differences were found in the variables sex and age, although the effect size was small in both variables and their interaction. Overall, the increase of the age value was inversely proportional to that of social anxiety measured with the SPAI-C; in participants of the same age, values were higher for girls than for boys. Results suggest that the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory For Children is a valid and reliable instrument to assess social anxiety in Spanish children and adolescents.

Factor Structure of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children in an Irish Adolescent Population

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 346-351
Author(s):  
Amanda Fitzgerald ◽  
Caroline Rawdon ◽  
Claire O’Rourke ◽  
Barbara Dooley
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Phobia ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Dsm 5 ◽  
The Social ◽  
Adolescent Sample ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Social Encounters

Abstract. The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C) is a 26-item, empirically derived, self-report measure, which assesses symptoms of social phobia based on DSM-IV criteria. Previous studies have examined the factor structure of the SPAI-C and suggested three-, four-, and five-factor models. However, differences in the underlying factor structures reported may be due to misuse of analytic methods or use of mixed samples, rather than meaningful differences in the underlying presentation of social anxiety. We tested all previously published factor structures in an Irish community-based adolescent sample. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and DSM-5 criteria supported the five-factor structure proposed by Aune, Stiles, and Svarva (2008) including Assertiveness, Physical/Cognitive Symptoms, Public Performance, Social Encounters, and Avoidance factors. Findings suggest that the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C) is relevant to DSM-5 criteria for social anxiety disorder (SAD) and is appropriate for use with older adolescents outside of the USA.

scholarly journals Measuring Social Anxiety in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Psychometric Properties of Self-Report Instruments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsie Boulton ◽  
Adam Guastella
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Dual Diagnosis ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
The Social ◽  
Autistic Adults

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at elevated risk for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Limited information exists on the appropriateness of using social anxiety instruments with these adults. This study examines psychometric properties of self-report social anxiety instruments in autistic adults without intellectual disability, compared to adults with SAD. Additionally, we compared instrument scores between autistic adults with a dual diagnosis of SAD and adults with SAD only. Adults diagnosed with SAD (N=316) or ASD (N=102) were recruited from the Brain and Mind Centre in New South Wales, Australia. Sixty autistic participants received a diagnosis of SAD. Participants completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-self-report, the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, the Social Phobia Scale, and the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. All instruments showed excellent internal consistency in autistic adults. Summary scores across instruments were strongly correlated within both groups, and the strength of these correlations were equivalent between ASD and SAD. For all instruments, the performance of autistic adults with a dual diagnosis of SAD was comparable to adults diagnosed with SAD only. Findings suggest that these instruments display adequate psychometric properties in autistic adults without intellectual disability, supporting the use of these instruments in clinical services.

It’s the end of ideology as we know it

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter K Hatemi ◽  
Lindon Eaves ◽  
Rose McDermott
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Genetic Factor ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Rational Action ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Attitudes Toward Sex

Scholars have long focused on socio-psychological attachment, elite discourse, and rational action to explain the nature and structure of ideologies. Recently genetic and neurobiological influences have also emerged as predictors of ideological preferences. So far however, there has been little synthesis of these findings into the larger discourse on the structures and manifestations of ideology. The few studies which do include genetic sources of information imply that culture is merely a passenger on a genetic foundation. Here, we test this assumption and in doing so offer a foundation for merging social, psychological, rational, and biological theories of attitude formation and structure. Utilizing a genetically informative sample, we find striking differences between the genetic and environmental factor structures of inter-related attitudes that form ideologies. The structure imposed by social influences corresponds to recognized definitions of liberalism and conservatism on a left–right continuum; however, the genetic factor structure combines liberal attitudes toward sex and reproduction with conservative attitudes toward punishment, defense and immigration. That is, the structure imposed on social and political attitudes by the social environment is a cultural veneer laid on a potentially divergent underlying structure of genetic differences. Our findings should encourage a new understanding of ideology that encompasses genetic, individual, and cultural mechanisms that operates in both conflict and concert depending on local and temporal contexts.

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

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 519-528
Author(s):  
Cliodhna E. M. O’Connor ◽  
Amanda Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Psychometric Evaluation ◽  
Anxiety Scale ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Educational Setting ◽  
The Social ◽  
Adolescent Sample

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.

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