Further Validation of Scores on the Social Anxiety Disorder Index-5 (SADI-5)

Social Anxiety Disorder has experienced several changes to its essential symptoms as new iterations of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) are introduced. With the introduction of the DSM-5 comes a new conceptualization of social anxiety disorder with regard to its essential symptoms. Given social anxiety disorder's high prevalence and negative impact on individuals, researchers and clinicians continue to have an interest in studying the disorder. However, there currently is a need in the extant literature for a measure that assesses the essential symptoms of social anxiety as it is currently conceptualized in the DSM-5. The Social Anxiety Disorder Index-5 (SADI-5) was constructed to fulfill such a need. The current project conducted two studies using two separate samples to evaluate the psychometric properties of the SADI-5. Results of Study 1 found evidence for adequate estimates of internal consistency for the SADI-5 scale score. Study 1 utilized item response theory and found a strong connection with the items of the SADI-5 and the social anxiety construct. Additionally, Study 1 established evidence of both convergent and discriminate validity. Study 2 further established evidence for estimates of internal consistency of the SADI-5 scale score and estimates of convergent and discriminate validity. These results establish the validity of the SADI-5's scale score and provide clinicians and researchers with a measure that assesses the essential symptoms of social anxiety disorder.