Use of the Chinese (Taiwan) version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) among early adolescents in rural areas: reliability and validity study.

BACKGROUND

To assess the screening abilities of the Chinese (Taiwan) version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) for evaluating social phobia in an adolescent community sample.

METHODS

A total of 3,393 students (1,669 boys, 1,724 girls), aged 13-15, completed the SPIN questionnaire. A total of 144 students were enrolled for validity. The Mini-International-Neuropsychiatric-Interview-Kid (MINI-Kid) was used to establish Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV diagnosis.

RESULTS

The mean SPIN total score of all subjects was 14.2 +/- 9.4, which was higher in girls than in boys (14.7 +/- 9.4 vs. 13.7 +/- 9.1; p < 0.01). The 7th graders had the highest SPIN total scores compared with the 8th and 9th graders (15.4 +/- 9.7 vs. 13.4 +/- 9.1 and 14.0 +/- 9.4; p < 0.001). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.73) were both good. A cut-off score of 25 resulted in balanced sensitivity (80%) and specificity (77%).

CONCLUSION

The Chinese (Taiwan) SPIN has good screening abilities. The cut-offs are different from those in other countries, and highlight the importance of culturally adapted cut-offs.