Examination of the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale–Version 2 and the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale–Straightforward Items Factor Structure in a Sample of U.S. College Students

Abstract

The current study examined the factor structure of the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation–Straightforward Items (BFNE-S) and the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation–Version 2 (BFNE-II) among 151 college students from the United States. Results indicated that the BFNE-S and the BFNE-II scores demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability. Single-group confirmatory factor analyses found that compared with the BFNE-II, the BFNE-S demonstrated a superior fit for the unitary theoretical model. Together, these findings suggest that the BFNE-S appears to be a better measure for assessing fear of negative evaluation in U.S. college students.