Rasch Model analysis of the Brief Version of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI- B) in Argentinean and Spanish samples.

Abstract

A valid and reliable assessment of social anxiety is a subject of practical relevance in the field of clinical research and diagnosis. In the present study, psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI-B) using the item response theory (IRT) were assessed. Although the inventory is widely used in several countries and cultural contexts, validation studies of the scale had not been performed yet from the Rasch model perspective in Argentinean and Spanish populations. The results indicate that the tool allows a unidimensional assessment of social anxiety with a pertinent categorization of the response scale. Furthermore, the data show that the level of severity of the items is adequate and allows the detection of clinical population. It was reported on the items with a differential functioning between gender and nationality, and the clinical implications of such differences were discussed.