Social Physique Anxiety Scale – SPAS
Measures the anxiety individuals experience when they perceive that others are evaluating their physical appearance or physique.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Social Physique Anxiety Scale – SPAS was developed by Hart, E. A., Leary, M. R., & Rejeski, W. J. (1989). It is designed to measure Social Physique Anxiety. The scale is intended for use with Adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all characteristic of me, 2 = Slightly characteristic of me, 3 = Moderately characteristic of me, 4 = Very characteristic of me, 5 = Extremely characteristic of me.
The scale includes 5 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 12 to 60. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Social Physique Anxiety: 12 – 27
- Moderate Social Physique Anxiety: 28 – 44
- High Social Physique Anxiety: 45 – 60
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha typically ranges from 0.80 to 0.90.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.