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LSAS-SR: Cutoffs for Social Anxiety

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
118 views2 pages

LSAS-SR: Cutoffs for Social Anxiety

Uploaded by

Manish Sahu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

sCoring the liebowitz social anxiety scale

"cutoffs of 30and 60 on the LSAS-SR provided the best balance of sensitivity and specificity for
cassifying participants with social anxiety and generalized social anxiety disorder, respectively. "
Rytwinski, N. K., D. M. Fresco, et al. (2009). "Screening for social anxiety disorder with the
self-report version of the Liebowitz Docial Anxiety Scale. "Depress Anxiety 26(1): 34-38.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether the self report version of the Liebowitz Social
Anxiety Scale (LSAS-SR) could accurately identify individuals with social anxiety disorder and
individuals with the generalized subtype of social anxiety disorder. Furthermore, the studysought to
determine the optimal cutoffs for the LSAS-SR for identifying patients with social anxiety dsorder
and its generalized subtype. METHODS: TwO hundred and ninety-one patients with clinician
assessed social anxiety disorder (240 with generalized social anxiety disorder) and 53control
particjpants who were free from current Axis-1 disorders completed the LSAS-SR. RESULTS:
Receiver Operating Characteristic analyses revealed that the LSAS-SR performed well in identiíying
participants with social anxiety disorder and generalized social anxiety disorder. Consistent with
Mennin et al. 's [2002: J Anxiety Disord 16:661-673] research on the clinician-administered version of
the LSAS, cutoffs of30 and 60 onthe LSAS-SR provided the best balance ofsenstivity and
specificity for classifying particjpants with social anxiety and generalized social anxiety disorder,
respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The LSAS-SR may be an acurate and cost-effective way to identify
and subtype patients with social anxiety disorder, which could help increase the percentage of
people who receive appropriate treatment for this debilitating disorder.
interesting to note that, inthis trial of sertraline, LSAS score dropped about 30points
Liebowitz, M. R, et al. (2003). "Efficacy of sertralinein severe generalized social anxiety
disorder: Results ofadouble-blind, placebo-controlled study.") Clin Psychiatry 64(7)
BACKGROUND:Generalized social anxiety disorder is an early onset, hghly chroniç, frequenty
disabling disorder with a lifetime prevalence of approximately 13%. The goal of the current study
was to evaluate the eficacy and tolerability ofsertraline for the treatment of severe generalized
sOdial anxiety disorder in adults. METHOD: After a 1-week single-blind placebo lead-in period,
patients with DSM-IVgeneralized social phobia were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of double-blind
treatment with flexible doses ofsertraline (50-200 mg/day) or placebo. Primary efficacy outcomes
were the mean change inthe Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) total score and the responder
rate forthe Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale (CGI-I) defined as a CGI-I score </= 2.
Data were collectedin 2000and 2001. RESULTS: 211 patients were randomly assigned to sertraline
(intent to-treat[I1] sample, 205), and 204 patients, to placebo (ITT sample, 196). At week 12,
sertraline prodiced asignificantly greater reduction in LSAS total score compared with placebo
(mean last-observation-caried-forward [LOCF]change ftom baseline: -31.0 vs. 21.7; p =.001) and
a greater proportion of responders (CGl-I score </= 2: 55.6%% vs. 29% among week 12 completers
and 46.89% vs. 25,5% in the ITT-LOCF sample;p <.001 for both comparisons). Sertraline was well
tolerated, with 76% of patients dlscontinuing due to adverse events versus 2.99% of placebo-treated
patients. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study confirm the efficacy of sertraline in the
treatment of severe socal anxiety disorder.
liebowitz social anxiety scale (Isas-sr)
name. date'
This measure assesses the way that social phobla plays a role in your life across a variety of situ
ations. Read each situation carefully and answer two questions about it; the first question asks how
anxious or fearful you feel in the situation; the second question asks how often you avoid it. If you
come across asituation that you ordinarily do not experience, we ask that you imagine "what if you
were faced with that situation", and then rate the degree to which you would fear this hypothetical
situation and how often you would tend to avoid it (using the 0 to 3scales below). Please base your
ratings on the way that situations have affected you in the last week (or other agreed time period).
fear or anxiety none mild moderate severe

1 2 3
avoidance never (0%) occasionally (1-33%) often (33-67%) usualy (67-100%)

anxiety avoidance
1 telephoning in public (p)
participating in small groups (p)
3 eating in public places (p)
4 drinking with others in public places (p)
5 talking to people in authority (s)
6 acting, performing or giving
a talk in front of an audience (p)
going to a party (s)
8 working while being observed (p)
9 writing while being observed (p)
10 calling someone you don't know very well (s)
11 talking with people you don't know very well ()
12 meeting strangers (s)
13 urinating in a public bathroom (p)
14 entering a room when others are already seated (p)
15 beingthe centre of attention (s)
16 speaking up at ameeting (p)
17 taking atest (p)
expressing a disagreement or disapproval
18 to people you don't know very well (s)
19 | lookingat people you dont very well in the eyes (s)
20 givinga report to a group (p)
21 tryingto pick up someone (p)
22 returning goods to astore (s)
23giving a party (6)
24resisting a high pressure salesperson (s)
total performance (p) subscore
total social interaction (s) subscore
total score

Liebowitz, M. R. (1987) "'Soclal phobia"Modern Problenms in Pharmacopsychiatry


Fresco, D, M. (2001) "The Lebowitz Soclal Andlety Scale: Acomparison of the psychometric properties of sef-report and
dlnlclan-adminlstered formats"Psychologlcal Medlcine 1025-1035.

Common questions

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Sertraline demonstrated efficacy in reducing symptoms of generalized social anxiety disorder, with a significant reduction in LSAS total score compared to placebo (mean change: -31.0 vs. -21.7). It also showed higher Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement responder rates (55.6% vs. 29% in week 12 completers).

The LSAS-SR facilitates increased treatment access by providing a valid, self-administered screening tool that can be easily distributed and completed without immediate clinician oversight. This approach can lead to the early identification of social anxiety, which is critical for timely intervention and management .

The cutoff scores of 30 and 60 are set based on receiver operating characteristic analyses to achieve the best balance between sensitivity and specificity. These scores differentiate between general and generalized social anxiety disorder effectively, enabling precise identification and subtype classification necessary for tailored treatment planning .

The study on sertraline’s efficacy had a dropout rate of 76% due to adverse events, suggesting challenges in tolerability for a significant number of patients. While sertraline is effective, its side effects may limit its applicability for all patients with social anxiety disorder, underscoring the need for personalized treatment approaches in clinical settings .

The LSAS-SR is shown to be a valid instrument with optimal sensitivity and specificity cutoffs equivalent to clinician-administered evaluations. These properties ensure that it remains a reliable measure for social anxiety across diverse research and clinical contexts, potentially outperforming other tools that do not balance these metrics as effectively .

The LSAS-SR's accurate classification capabilities mean it can serve as a cost-effective tool for identifying social anxiety disorder, potentially increasing the number of people who receive appropriate treatment by enabling better initial screening .

Evaluating the impact of social situations using the LSAS can be challenging when individuals do not regularly experience certain situations. They must then imagine how they might feel and respond, which could lead to less accurate assessments. This requirement to hypothesize about responses introduces potential variability in results .

The LSAS-SR, like the clinician-administered version, effectively identifies individuals with social anxiety disorder and the generalized subtype by providing cutoffs of 30 and 60, respectively. These cutoffs offer a balance of sensitivity and specificity for classification purposes .

The LSAS plays a pivotal role in evaluating therapy outcomes by providing a standardized measure to assess changes in social anxiety symptoms over time. It helps quantify the efficacy of therapeutic interventions, such as sertraline, by tracking score reductions and improvements in avoidance and fear levels .

The high lifetime prevalence of social phobia, approximately 13%, necessitates efficient and accessible screening tools like the LSAS to facilitate early detection and intervention. This prevalence highlights the importance of robust tools for capturing diverse presentations of social anxiety across populations .

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