Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale

What it measures

The most widely used measure of social anxiety in clinical research. Assesses fear and avoidance across 24 social and performance situations. Primary outcome measure in most social anxiety disorder RCTs. Self-report version (LSAS-SR) freely available.

Representative items

• Telephoning in public (Fear + Avoidance rated separately)
• Participating in small groups
• Eating in public places
• Being the centre of attention
• Giving a report to a group

Citation

Fresco, D.M., Coles, M.E., Heimberg, R.G., Liebowitz, M.R., Hami, S., Stein, M.B., & Goetz, D. (2001). The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale: A comparison of the psychometric properties of self-report and clinician-administered formats. Psychological Medicine, 31(6), 1025–1035.