The Speech Anxiety Thoughts Inventory: scale development and preliminary psychometric data.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Cognitive factors are central to the development, maintenance, and treatment of speech anxiety.
• Existing instruments for assessing cognitive content in speech anxiety are limited.
• The Speech Anxiety Thoughts Inventory (SATI) was developed to measure maladaptive cognitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the psychometric characteristics of a revised English version of the Speech Anxiety Thoughts Inventory (SATI).
• To validate the SATI as a reliable and sensitive measure for assessing cognitive aspects of speech anxiety.

Main Methods:

• Three studies were conducted to evaluate the SATI.
• Study 1: Factor analysis to determine the underlying structure of the SATI.
• Study 2: Replication of the factor structure, assessment of stability, internal consistency, and convergent/discriminant validity.
• Study 3: Evaluation of the SATI's sensitivity to change after exposure-based treatments.

Main Results:

• Factor analyses revealed a two-factor structure: 'prediction of poor performance' and 'fear of negative evaluation by audience'.
• The two-factor structure was replicated, demonstrating stability over four weeks, high internal consistency, and good validity.
• The SATI showed sensitivity to change following brief exposure-based treatments for speech anxiety.

Conclusions:

• The revised English version of the SATI is a psychometrically sound instrument.
• The SATI is a reliable and valid measure for assessing cognitive features of speech anxiety.
• The SATI can be utilized in clinical and research settings to evaluate maladaptive cognitions associated with speech anxiety.