Background
Social anxiety is a feeling of discomfort and an intense fear of being judged and watched in social settings. Normal shyness is part of human behavior, but persistent anxiety in social interactions can impact overall wellbeing. Deenz Social Anxiety Severity Scale (DSASS) is a short psychometric self-assessment, helps in evaluating experiences of anxiety in social and performance situations. While social contact and interaction is a fundamental aspect of human life, individuals with persistent social anxiety may often face significant distress, fear of negative evaluation, and avoidance behaviors that can disrupt normal functioning.
The DSASS measures three core dimensions of social anxiety: Social Interaction, Performance Anxiety, and Cognitive & Physiological Symptoms. Understanding these facets can help identify specific areas where social distress is most pronounced.
Participation
The Deenz Social Anxiety Severity Scale is designed for adults and adolescents interested in understanding their social anxiety levels. It can also be utilized by educators, researchers, and mental health professionals for screening and research purposes. Participation is completely anonymous, and individual session data is not permanently stored.
Scoring & Interpretation
This assessment consists of 20 items scored on a five-point scale (0 to 4). Item responses are summed to produce a raw total score ranging from 0 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater severity of social anxiety symptoms.
The results provide an Overall Index Score along with scores for three specific dimensions: Social Interaction, Performance Anxiety, and Cognitive & Physiological Symptoms. Dimension scores are standardized to a 0–100 scale.
Overall scores are classified into five interpretive ranges:
• Minimal (0–15)
• Mild (16–30)
• Moderate (31–45)
• High (46–60)
• Very High (61–80)
The results also provide percentile-based normative comparisons, representing the approximate percentage of previous participants who scored lower than the respondent.
Deenz Social Anxiety Severity Scale Questionnaire
Below is the Deenz Social Anxiety Severity Scale, a digitally adapted 20- items self-assessment questionnaire. It evaluates common cognitive, physiological, and behavioral patterns associated with social anxiety. You will be asked to rate each statement based on how frequently you experience it. There are no right or wrong answers.
Sources
DM Dar. Development and Validation of Deenz Social Anxiety Severity Scale (DSASS-20). DrDeenz Psychometrics Lab. August, 2025 [PREPRINT].Version History
2025-11-15|v1.1|Added dimension-level profiling