The Foreign Language Anxiety in a Medical Office Scale: Developing and Validating a Measurement Tool for Spanish-Speaking Individuals

Abstract

Communication research has been hindered by a lack of validated measures for Latino populations. To develop and validate a foreign language anxiety in a medical office scale (the Foreign Language Anxiety in a Medical Office Scale [FLAMOS]), the authors conducted a survey of low income, primarily Spanish-speaking Latinos (N = 100). The scale factored into a unidimensional construct and showed high reliability (α = .92). The Foreign Language Anxiety in a Medical Office Scale also demonstrated convergent and divergent validity compared with other communication anxiety scales (Personal Report of Communication Apprehension–24, Communication Anxiety Inventory, and Recipient Apprehension Test), and predictive validity for acculturation measures (the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics). The Foreign Language Anxiety in a Medical Office Scale provides a validated measure for researchers and may help to explain Latino health care communication barriers.

Notes

Note. FLAMOS = Foreign Language Anxiety in a Medical Office Scale. SASH = Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics.

Note. Factor loadings reported from the rotated components matrix.

¹Loadings reported from 12-item exploratory factor analysis, after which the items were dropped.

²Loadings reported from 10-item exploratory factor analysis, after which the items were dropped.

All other loadings reported from final 8-item exploratory factor analysis. Italicized items were dropped from the final scale.

Note. FLAMOS = Foreign Language Anxiety in a Medical Office Scale. SASH = Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics.

*p < .05. **p < .01.

Note. All statistics reported from the fourth step. βs = betas (standardized regression weights) at entry; R ² = amount of variance explained by all four blocks. SASH = Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics. FLAMOS = Foreign Language Anxiety in a Medical Office Scale.

*p < .05. **p < .01.