The Social Phobia Scale Interaction: psychometric properties of the french version

The Social Interaction Phobia Scale (SIPS; Carleton et al., 2009) is a self-report measure designed to assess symptoms specific to social anxiety disorder. The measure represents a revised version of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and Social Phobia Scale developed by Mattick and Clarke (1998). The original English version is a 3-factor model (i.e., Social Interaction Anxiety, Fear of Overt Evaluation, and Fear of Attracting Attention) with an excellent internal consistency, discriminant validity, and test-retest reliability. Given the initial psychometric robustness of the SIPS, a translation appears warranted to potentiate cross-cultural research and clinical utility. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to explore the psychometric properties of a French translation of the SIPS in a French Canadian community sample. Participants (N = 282) who reported speaking French as their first language completed the French Version of the SIPS. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the precedent 3-factor model, which demonstrated high internal consistency for total and subscale scores. Comparisons of subscales and total scores across sexes revealed minimal differences between men and women. Test-retest reliability and convergent validity with the French Social Phobia Inventory (Radomsky et al., 2006) were both high. Overall, the results provide preliminary support for the validity of the French version of the SIPS. Comprehensive results, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.