Measuring Evaluation Fears in Adolescence

Abstract

Modified measures of Fear of Negative Evaluation and Fear of Positive Evaluation were examined among Portuguese adolescents. These measures demonstrated replicable factor structure, internal consistency, and positive relationships with social anxiety and avoidance. Gender differences were found. Implications for evaluation and intervention are discussed.

• confirmatory factor analysis
• exploratory factor analysis
• measurement
• fear of negative evaluation
• fear of positive evaluation

Notes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/orPUBLICation of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paula Vagos

Paula Vagos is Lecturer in Psychology at the Univeristy of Aveiro, and researcher at the University of Coimbra. She mostly investigates social behaviors in adolescence, including social anxiety and avoidance, assertiveness and aggression. She has published mostly in psychometrics, including development of new instruments and cross-cultural validation of existing ones.

Maria do Céu Salvador

Maria do Céu Salvador is a Clinician, a Lecturer and a Researcher in Psychology at the University of Coimbra. She is mostly interested in investigating in social phobia, especially in adolescence. She presented and published in assessment instruments and in several variables relevant for social phobia research.

Daniel Rijo

Daniel Rijo is Professor of Clinical and Forensic Psychology at the University of Coimbra. He has integrated several funded multidisciplinary projects, focusing on antisocial behavior, personality disorders and the rehabilitation of young offenders and students at risk of school dropout. He has published mostly on psychological evaluation and outcome research.

Isabel M. Santos

Isabel M. Santos is Lecturer in Psychology and coordinator of the NeuroLab Unit of the Psylab, University of Aveiro, Portugal. Her research is mostly focused on cognitive neuroscience and the psychobiological bases of behavior. She also participates in various projects of adaptation of psychological assessment instruments to the Portuguese population.

Justin W. Weeks

Justin W. Weeks, PhD, is Director of the Center for Evaluation and Treatment of Anxiety (CETA) at Ohio University. Dr. Weeks is well-known for his work on fear of positive evaluation as a core element of social anxiety disorder, as well as on the enhanced objective assessment of social anxiety.

Richard G. Heimberg

Richard G. Heimberg is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Adult Anxiety Clinic of Temple University. He is Past President of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology. He is widely published in research on anxiety disorders and their treatment.