Construção da escala cognitiva e comportamental de ansiedade social (ECCAS)

Abstract

The Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a very common condition presently, appearing as the primary anxiety disorder and one of the most prevalent mental diseases worldwide. It is characterized by constant and excessive fear or anxiety about social situations, which can be of performance, interaction or observation, in which a person has fear of being negatively evaluated by others, and may be exposed to humiliation and scrutiny. The objective of this work is the development of a screening instrument of the symptoms of SAD, which is able to identify as well subjects with greater likelihood of developing the disease. The study was divided into two phases: the first refers to the construction of the instrument and the second consists on the application of the test to 297 subjects. One socio-demographic questionnaire, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Mini Social Phobia Inventory and the scale developed by the authors. Preliminary results showed excellent internal consistency and factor analysis was considered satisfactory. There was an association between the scale score and some socio-demographic indicators, according to scientific literature in the area.