Development of a Brief Version of the Social Phobia Inventory Using Item Response Theory: The Mini-SPIN-R

•We used item response theory to develop a brief version of the SPIN•Our sample included 569 individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD)•We developed the Mini-SPIN-R, which has good psychometric properties•The Mini-SPIN-R was found to compare favorably to a previous brief version of the SPIN•The Mini-SPIN-R is a promising brief measure of social anxiety severity

The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) is a widely used measure in mental health settings and a 3-item version (mini-SPIN) has been developed as a screening instrument for social anxiety disorder. In the present study, we examined the psychometric properties of the SPIN and developed a brief version (mini-SPIN-R) designed to assess social anxiety severity using item response theory. Our sample included 569 individuals with social anxiety disorder who participated in 2 clinical trials and filled out a battery of self-report measures. Using a nonparametric kernel smoothing method we identified the most sensitive items of the SPIN. These 3 items comprised the mini-SPIN-R, which was found to have greater internal consistency, and to capture a greater range of symptoms compared to the mini-SPIN. The mini-SPIN-R evidenced superior convergent validity compared to the mini-SPIN and both measures had similar divergent validity. Thus, the mini-SPIN-R is a promising brief measure of social anxiety severity.