Psychometric validation of the Specific Phobia Questionnaire in an Australian community sample

Abstract

Objective The Specific Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ; Fairbrother & Antony, 2012) is a 43-item scale that measures fear and interference towards various specific phobias. This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the SPQ in an Australian population.Method The sample consisted of 287 participants, aged 18–76 (M = 28.30, SD = 12.07).Results Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit of the multidimensional factor structure. The SPQ showed excellent internal consistency in total, fear items, interference items, and low to high internal consistency when classified into the five factors. The SPQ demonstrated adequate convergent and discriminant validity when correlated with the Specific Phobia Dimensional Scale and the Panic Disorder Severity Scale – Self Report, respectively.Conclusions Overall, the SPQ is a valid and reliable measure to use in an Australian community population. Future research is considered.

Keywords

• Anxiety
• fear
• interference
• specific phobia
• Specific Phobia Questionnaire