The reliability and validity of a susceptibility to embarrassment scale among adults

Abstract Kelly and Jones [Kelly, K. M., & Jones, W. H. (1997). Assessment of dispositional embarrassability. Anxiety, Stress and Coping: An International Journal , 10 , 307–333] introduced the Susceptibility to Embarrassment Scale that demonstrates impressive psychometric qualities among students. The aim of the present study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Susceptibility to Embarrassment Scale among adults. Among 203 English adults (84 men, 119 women) the Susceptibility to Embarrassment Scale shows satisfactory internal and test–retest reliability statistics. To support the scale's validity, higher scores on the Susceptibility to Embarrassment Scale are found to be significantly positively associated with other measures of embarrassability, neuroticism, social anxiety, trait anxiety, depression, the use of emotion-focussed coping strategies and peer-evaluation of respondents' embarrassability. Further validity for the scale is shown by the Susceptibility to Embarrassment Scale's significant negative association with extraversion, self-esteem and the use of problem-focussed coping strategies. The present study suggests that the scale can be confidently used among adult samples.

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