Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Psychology

Major Professor

Fallon R. Goodman, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Jonathan A. Rottenberg, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jennifer Bosson, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Brent Small, Ph.D.

Keywords

mental health, measure development, factor analysis, validity

Abstract

The primary reason people with social anxiety disorder (SAD) do not seek treatment is due to stigma concerns. Yet, our understanding of SAD stigma hinges heavily on measures that assess general mental illness stigma, which may not capture the distinct aspects of SAD. The goal of this research program was to develop and validate a measure of social anxiety stigma that assesses personal stigma towards people with SAD: the Social Anxiety Stigma Scale (SASS). The SASS was evaluated across three studies. In Study 1 (N = 221), an initial item analysis was conducted on 33 items to remove weak items and reduce the length of the scale. After item removal, exploratory factor analysis supported a 19-item scale with three factors. In Study 2 (N = 382), a secondary item analysis and exploratory factor analysis supported a 17-item scale with two correlated factors: personal deficits and social skills deficits. In Study 3 (N = 939), the two-factor structure was cross-validated in third independent sample. Results of the CFA suggested that a correlated two-factor solution demonstrated satisfactory fit, and the 17 items from the SASS were multidimensional. The SASS demonstrated strong internal consistency, good test-retest reliability, and good convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity. Together, these findings indicate that the SASS is a psychometrically sound tool for assessing social anxiety stigma.

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