This is one of the most widely used tools to gauge level / severity of social anxiety. It is generally regarded as a well-validated measure that is used by psychiatric professionals to screen clients for social anxiety disorder and to document progress while undergoing treatment (medical or analytical).
A lot of research has gone into testing validity of the test. Research has established the scale to be internally consistent and in terms of validity it has been shown to have a high level of association with other measures of social phobia which shows a high level of convergent validity. Some excellent sources include: Fresco et al., 2001; Heimberg et al., 1999; Masia-Warner et al., 2003. Also see the sources listed below.
INSTRUCTIONS:
The test looks at how significant a role social phobia plays in your life across a variety of situations.
Base your responses on how the situations have affected you in the last week. Each question requires two responses: the first looks at how anxious or fearful you feel in the situation and the second looks at how often you avoid the situation. If you find that a question is not relevant to your life experiences, you should base your response on what you think your response would be.
Fear or Anxiety:
0 = None
1 = Mild
2 = Moderate
3 = Severe
Avoidance
0 = Never
1 = Occasionally
2 = Often
3 = Severe
SITUATION |
FEAR 0 to 4 |
AVOIDANCE 0 to 4 |
1. Using a telephone in public to |
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2. Participating in a small group activity |
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3. Eating in public |
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4. Drinking with others |
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5. Talking to someone in authority |
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6. Acting, performing, or speaking in front of an audience |
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7. Going to a party |
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8. Working while being observed |
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9. Writing while being observed |
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10. Calling someone you don't know very well |
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11. Talking face to face with someone you don't know very well |
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12. Meeting strangers |
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13. Urinating in a public bathroom |
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14. Entering a room when others are already seated |
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15. Being the center of attention |
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16. Speaking up at a meeting |
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17. Taking a test of your ability, skill, or knowledge |
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18. Expressing disagreement or disapproval to someone you don't know very well |
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19. Looking someone who you don't know very well straight in the eyes |
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20. Giving a prepared oral talk to a group |
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21. Trying to make someone's acquaintance for the purpose of a romantic/sexual relationship |
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22. Returning goods to a store for a refund |
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23. Giving a party |
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24. Resisting a high pressure sales person |
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Add to get your totals |
Under 30: unlikely to have social anxiety
30 to 60: probably has some social anxiety
60 to 90: social anxiety very probable
90 +: most likely to have social anxiety with symptoms severe enough to be life debilitating
Sources
D. M. Fresco, M. E. Coles, R. G. Heimberg, The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale: A Comparison of the Psychometric Properties of Self-Report and Clinician-Administered Formats. Psychological Medicine 1025-1035. 2001.
Liebowitz MR. Social Phobia. Mod Probl Pharmacopsychiatry 1987;22:141-173