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Putative clinical subtypes of social phobia:a factor‐analytical study
Author(s) -
Perugi G.,
Nassini S.,
Maremmani I.,
Madaro D.,
Toni C.,
Simonini E.,
Akiskal H. S.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2001.00128.x
Subject(s) - psychology , anxiety , social anxiety , clinical psychology , comorbidity , avoidant personality disorder , anxiety disorder , mood , interpersonal relationship , interpersonal communication , personality , psychiatry , personality disorders , social psychology
Objective: To examine symptomatological subtypes of social phobia (SP) and their relationships with a number of feared situations and avoidant personality disorder (APD). Method: In 153 out‐patients with SP according to DSM‐III‐R criteria, clinical subtypes were investigated by means of principal component factor analysis of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). We compared the various SP subtypes on the basis of the highest Z ‐scores obtained on each LSAS factor. Results: Five factors (interpersonal anxiety, formal speaking anxiety, stranger‐authority anxiety, eating and drinking while being observed, anxiety of doing something while being observed) emerged, accounting for 64.7% of the total variance. When the dominant LSAS factor groups were compared, the highest values in the numbers of feared situations and the presence of APD were observed in the ‘interpersonal anxiety’ dominant group and the lowest in the ‘anxiety of doing something while being observed’. The ‘interpersonal anxiety’ dominant group was the most likely to present a positive family history for SP and a lifetime comorbidity with mood disorders. Conclusion: The emerging multidimensional structure of phobia is congruent with, and further enriches, the existing literature.