Abstract
The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) assesses the fear and avoidance associated with social anxiety and has been validated in several languages. The present study describes the adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Amharic version of the LSAS in Ethiopian university student samples. Two studies were carried out. In the first study, 429 participants completed a survey, including demographic information, and the Amharic version of the LSAS. In the second study, 32 participants completed a survey comprising demographic information and the Amharic version of the LSAS. The participants were recruited using a convenience sampling method. The findings suggest a two-factor solution (CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.92, and RMSEA = 0.06) consistent with the original factor structure and excellent reliability coefficient. Finally, the Amharic version of the LSAS can demonstrate good sensitivity to treatments (solution-focused and social skills training groups) in a nonclinical sample of university students in Ethiopia. Taken together, the present findings indicate that the LSAS is a suitable psychometric measure to assess social anxiety in Ethiopia.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbink, J. (1997). The shrinking cultural and political space of East African pastoral societies. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 6(1), 1–17.
Abebe, A.M., Kebede, T.G. and Mengistu, F. (2018). Prevalence of stress and associated factors among regular students at Debre Birhan governmental and nongovernmental health science colleges north Showa zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Psychiatry Journal, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7534937.
Ateş, B., & Gençdoğan, B. (2017). Analyzing the effects of solution focused group psychological counseling upon university students’ coping with social phobia. Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 18(1), 188–203. https://doi.org/10.17679/inuefd.306513.
Baker, S. L., Heinrichs, N., Kim, H. J., & Hofmann, S. G. (2002). The Liebowitz social anxiety scale as a self-report instrument: a preliminary psychometric analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40(6), 701–715. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(01)00060-2.
Behling, O., & Law, K. S. (2000). Translating questionnaires and other research instruments: problems and solutions. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc.. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412986373.
Beidel, D. C., Rao, P. A., Scharfstein, L., Wong, N., & Alfano, C. A. (2010). Social skills and social phobia: an investigation of DSM-IV subtypes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48(10), 992–1001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2010.06.005.
Bobes, J., Badía, X., Luque, A., García, M., González, M. P., & Dal-Ré, R. (1999). Validation of the Spanish version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Social Anxiety and Distress Scale and Sheehan Disability Inventory for the evaluation of social phobia. Medicina Clínica, 112(14), 530–538.
Bögels, S. M., & Voncken, M. (2008). Social skills training versus cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder characterized by fear of blushing, trembling, or sweating. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 1(2), 138–150. https://doi.org/10.1521/ijct.2008.1.2.138.
Borsa, J. C., Damásio, B. F., & Bandeira, D. R. (2012). Adaptação e validação de instrumentos psicológicos entre culturas: algumas considerações. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), 22(53), 423–432. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-863X2012000300014.
Bowman, N. A. (2010). The development of psychological well-being among first-year college students. Journal of College Student Development, 51(2), 180–200. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0118.
Carmona-Halty, M., Schaufeli, W. B., Llorens, S., & Salanova, M. (2019). Satisfaction of basic psychological needs leads to better academic performance via increased psychological capital: a three-wave longitudinal study among high school students. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(2113). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02113.
Chavira, D., Stein, M., Bailey, K., & Stein, M. (2004). Child anxiety in primary care: prevalent but untreated. Depression and Anxiety, 20, 155–164. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20039.
Clark, D. M., & Wells, A. (1995). A cognitive model of social phobia. In G. Heimberg, M. R. M. R. Liebowitz, D. Hope, & F. Scheier (Eds.), Social phobia: diagnosis, assessment, and treatment (pp. 69–93). New York: The Guilford Press.
Cortina, J. M. (1993). What is coefficient alpha? An examination of theory and applications. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(1), 98–104. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.78.1.98.
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555
Cox, B. J., Ross, L., Swinson, R. P., & Direnfeld, D. M. (1998). A comparison of social phobia outcome measures in cognitive-behavioral group therapy. Behavior Modification, 22(3), 285–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455980223004.
Dachew, B. A., Bifftu, B. B., Tiruneh, B. T., Anlay, D. Z., Wassie, M. A., & Betts, K. (2019). Prevalence and determinants of mental distress among university students in Ethiopia: a systematic review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 8(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-019-0966-z.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2002). Handbook of self-determination research. University Rochester Press.
Dessie, Y., Ebrahim, J., & Awoke, T. (2013). Mental distress among university students in Ethiopia: a cross sectional survey. Pan African Medical Journal, 15(95), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2013.15.95.2173.
Dos Santos, L. F., Loureiro, S. R., Crippa, J. A. S., & de Lima Osório, F. (2013). Adaptation and initial psychometric study of the self-report version of Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS-SR). International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 17(2), 139–143. https://doi.org/10.3109/13651501.2012.710336.
Dyson, R., & Renk, K. (2006). Freshmen adaptation to university life: depressive symptoms, stress, and coping. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(10), 1231–1244. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20295.
Fresco, D., Coles, M., Heimberg, R., Liebowitz, M., Hami, S., Stein, M., & Goetz, D. (2001). The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale: a comparison of the psychometric properties of self-report and clinician-administered formats. Psychological Medicine, 31(6), 1025–1035. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291701004056.
Gebreegziabher, Y., Girma, E., & Tesfaye, M. (2019). Help-seeking behavior of Jimma university students with common mental disorders: a cross-sectional study. PLoS One, 14(2), e0212657. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0212657.
Gilboa-Schechtman, E., Franklin, M. E., & Foa, E. B. (2000). Anticipated reactions to social events: Differences among individuals with generalized social phobia, obsessive com-pulsive disorder, and nonanxious controls. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 24, 731–746. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005595513315.
Haile, Y. G., Alemu, S. M., & Habtewold, T. D. (2017). Common mental disorder and its association with academic performance among Debre Berhan University students, Ethiopia. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 11, 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-017-0142-6.
Heimberg, R. G., Horner, K. J., Juster, H. R., Safren, S. A., Brown, E. J., Schneier, F. R., & Liebowitz, M. R. (1999). Psychometric properties of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Psychological Medicine, 29, 199–212. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291798007879.
Hofmann, S. G. (2007). Cognitive factors that maintain social anxiety disorder: a comprehensive model and its treatment implications. Cognitive Behavior Therapy, 36(4), 193–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506070701421313.
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. (1998). Fit indices in covariance structure modeling: sensitivity to underparameterized model misspecification. Psychological Methods, 3(4), 424–453. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118.
Levin, J. B., Marom, S., Gur, S., Wechter, D., & Hermesh, H. (2002). Psychometric properties and three proposed subscales of a self-report version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale translated into Hebrew. Depression and Anxiety, 16(4), 143–151. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.10064.
Liebowitz, M. R. (1987). Social phobia. Modern Problems in Pharmacopsychiatry, 22, 141–173. https://doi.org/10.1159/000414022.
Monteiro, N. M., & Balogun, S. K. (2013). Perceptions of mental illness in Ethiopia: a profile of attitudes, beliefs and practices among community members, healthcare workers and traditional healers. International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 7(3), 259–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/17542863.2013.784344.
Oakman, J., Van Ameringen, M., Mancini, C., & Farvolden, P. (2003). A confirmatory factor analysis of a self-report version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59(1), 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10124.
Olivares-Olivares, P. J., Ortiz-González, P. F., & Olivares, J. (2019). Role of social skills training in adolescents with social anxiety disorder. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology : IJCHP, 19(1), 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2018.11.002.
Rosenthal, R., & Rosnow, R. L. (1991). Essentials of behavioral research: methods and data analysis (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Russell, G., & Topham, P. (2012). The impact of social anxiety on student learning and well-being in higher education. Journal of Mental Health, 21(4), 375–385. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638237.2012.694505.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Psychological needs: varied concepts and a preliminary description of SDT’s approach. In R. M. Ryan & E. L. Deci (Eds.), Self–determination theory: basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness (pp. 80–101). London: The Guilford Press.
Safren, S. A., Heimberg, R. G., Horner, K. J., Juster, H. R., Schneier, F. R., & Liebowitz, M. R. (1999). Factor structure of social fears: the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Journal of Anxiety Disorder, 13(3), 253–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0887-6185(99)00003-1.
Seleshi, Z. & Sentayehu T. (1998). Parenting style differences among selected ethnic groups in Ethiopia. Unpublished Research Paper, Forum on Street Children – Ethiopia in Cooperation with Radda Barnen (Swedish Save the Children), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Soykan, C., Ozgüven, H. D., & Gençöz, T. (2003). Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale: the Turkish version. Psychological Reports, 93(3 Pt 2), 1059–1069. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2003.93.3f.1059.
Streiner, D. L., & Norman, G. R. (2003). Health measurement scales a practical guide to their development and use. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199685219.001.0001.
Terra, M. B., Barros, H. M. T., Stein, A. T., Figueira, I., Athayde, L. D., Gonçalves, M. d. S., Tergolina, L. P., Rovani, J. S., & da Silveira, D. X. (2006). Internal consistency and factor structure of the Portuguese version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale among alcoholic patients. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 28(4), 265–269. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-44462006005000008.
Tesfahunegn, T. B., & Gebremariam, E. H. (2019). Mental distress and associated factors among Aksum University students, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 19(1), 71. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2051-5.
UNESCO Statistics (2018) Ethiopia | UNESCO UIS - UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved on June 2, 2020, from: http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/et
Wondie, Y. (2014). Reflections on the development of psychology in Ethiopia and future directions. International Review of Psychiatry, 26(5), 585–588. https://doi.org/10.3109/09540261.2014.917611.
Yao, S.-N., Note, I., Fanget, F., Albuisson, E., Bouvard, M., Jalenques, I., & Cottraux, J. (1999). L'anxiété sociale chez les phobiques sociaux: Valiation de l'échelle d'anxiété sociale de Liebowitz (version Francaise) [Social anxiety in social phobics: validation of Liebowitz's social anxiety scale--French version]. L'Encéphale: Revue de Psychiatrie Clinique Biologique et Thérapeutique, 25(5), 429–435.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of University’sResearch Ethics Board and with the 1975 Helsinki Declaration.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Elemo, A.S., Türküm, A.S. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS): Psychometric Properties of the Amharic Version in Ethiopian University Student Sample. Int J Ment Health Addiction 20, 1709–1721 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00475-x
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00475-x