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Social Avoidance and Distress Scale – SADS
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Instructions:
This questionnaire consists of a number of statements. We want you to decide for each one if it is TRUE or FALSE, as applied to you. If the statement is TRUE or MOSTLY TRUE as applied to you, tap the true button. If the statements is FALSE or MOSTLY FALSE as applied to you, tap the false button. Remember to give your own opinion of yourself.
| True | False | ||
| I feel relaxed even in unfamiliar social situations | 0 | 1 | |
| I try to avoid situations, which force me to be very sociable | 1 | 0 | |
| It is easy for me to relax when I am with strangers | 0 | 1 | |
| I have no particular desire to avoid people | 0 | 1 | |
| I often find social occasions upsetting | 1 | 0 | |
| I usually feel calm and comfortable at social occasions | 0 | 1 | |
| I am usually at ease when talking to someone of the opposite sex | 0 | 1 | |
| I try to avoid talking to people unless I know them well | 1 | 0 | |
| If the chance comes to meet new people, I often take it | 0 | 1 | |
| I often feel nervous or tense in casual get-togethers in which both sexes are present | 0 | 1 | |
| I am usually nervous with people unless I know them well | 1 | 0 | |
| I usually feel relaxed when I am with a group of people | 0 | 1 | |
| I often want to get away from people | 1 | 0 | |
| I usually feel uncomfortable when I am in a group of people I don’t | 0 | 1 | |
| I usually feel relaxed when I meet someone for the first time | 0 | 1 | |
| Being introduced to people makes me tense and nervous | 1 | 0 | |
| True | False | ||
| Even though a room is full of strangers, I may enter it anyway | 0 | 1 | |
| I would avoid walking up and joining a large group of people | 1 | 0 | |
| When my superiors want to talk with me, I talk willingly | 0 | 1 | |
| I often feel on edge when I am with a group of people | 1 | 0 | |
| I tend to withdraw from people | 1 | 0 | |
| I don’t mind talking to people at parties or social gatherings | 0 | 1 | |
| I am seldom at ease in a large group of people | 1 | 0 | |
| I often think of excuses in order to avoid social engagements | 1 | 0 | |
| I sometimes take the responsibility for introducing people to each other | 0 | 1 | |
| I try to avoid formal social occasions | 1 | 0 | |
| I usually go to whatever social engagements I have | 0 | 1 | |
| I find it easy to relax with other people | 0 | 1 | |
Description
Validity and Reliability
Interpretation
Developer
Number Of Questions
References
Geist and Hamrick, (1983) Journal of Clinical Psychology, September. 1983, Vol. 39, No. 5
Developer Reference:
Watson, D., & Friend, R. (1969). Measurement of social-evaluative anxiety. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology; Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 33(4), 448.
Cite this article
mohammad looti (2026). Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/social-avoidance-and-distress-scale-sads/
mohammad looti. "Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/social-avoidance-and-distress-scale-sads/.
mohammad looti. "Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/social-avoidance-and-distress-scale-sads/.
mohammad looti (2026) 'Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS)', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/social-avoidance-and-distress-scale-sads/.
[1] mohammad looti, "Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS)," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.
mohammad looti. Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.