Psychometric properties of a treatment monitoring instrument for social anxiety disorder: The Turkish version of the Social Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ)

Objective: Social anxiety disorder is characterized by a marked and persistent fear of being negatively evaluated, humiliated, or scrutinized by others. Negative cognitions related to the self and social interactions may increase individuals’ vulnerability to social anxiety. In this context, the Social Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ), developed by David M. Clark, is used in the treatment process of individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder to assess common beliefs about the self and social interactions that are considered to increase vulnerability to social anxiety [1]. The Social Attitudes Questionnaire consists of 50 items presented as statements. Each item is rated on a 7-point scale ranging from totally agree to totally disagree. The questionnaire is recommended to be completed before the initial assessment interview, and again at mid-treatment and post-treatment [2]. This instrument enables the assessment of different attitudes and beliefs related to social anxiety disorder. This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the SAQ for use in patient follow-up and clinical studies in Turkey. Methods: Permission to use the scale was obtained directly from David Clark via email. Then, the original 50-item scale in English was translated into Turkish by one researcher. The Turkish version was then back-translated into English by another researcher and compared with the original version. Based on this process, the final Turkish version of the scale was established. The study was performed with a total of 162 people. Patients diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Healthy controls were similar in age, gender, and education level to the patient group. Sociodemographic data were obtained through interviews with the participants, and the Turkish version of the Social Attitudes Questionnaire, DAS-R-TR, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were administered. Statistical analyses were performed by using the IBM SPSS 22.0 program, and Exploratory Factor Analysis was performed with the AMOS program. Results: In the exploratory factor analysis, the KMO value of the SAQ was 0.910, and Bartlett’s test was statistically significant (χ² = 1183.173, p < 0.001). The validity and reliability measures of the SAQ were acceptable. The Social Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) has a three-factor structure that explains 65.2% of the total variance. Factor 1 accounted for 28.45% of the total variance, factor 2 for 19.98%, and factor 3 for 15.37%. The Cronbach’s α value for the SAQ was 0.938. The Cronbach’s alpha values of the sub-dimensions of the scale were found to be 0.913 for factor 1, 0.858 for factor 2, and 0.843 for factor 3. The SAQ showed good internal consistency reliability. It was found that there was a positive and significant correlation between SAQ and its subscales and BAI, LSAS, and its subscales, DAS-R-TR (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results obtained in our study, the Turkish version of the SAQ has a strong factorial structure, and this questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for use in the field of Social Anxiety Disorder.

References

Clark, D. M. (2001). Social Attitudes Questionnaire, revised. Unpublished manuscript, University of Oxford
Social Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) https://oxcadatresources.com/questionnaires/