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.