Fear of flying assessment: A contribution to the Italian validation of two self-report measures

The present study describes the psychometric properties of the Italian adaptation of two self-report scales for fear of flying assessment: the Flight Anxiety Situations questionnaire (FAS), which measures anxiety related to specific flying phases, and the Flight Anxiety Modality questionnaire (FAM), which focuses on somatic and cognitive modalities occurring in air travel situations. Although both questionnaires have been translated in various languages and tailored to several local frameworks, this is the only study that provides an evaluation of the adapted instruments’ validity and reliability. Validation procedures were done on 259 participants, including patients who experienced fear of flying as well as a group of non-clinical subjects. Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the optimal design for the dimensional structure of both instruments. Confirmatory analyses showed that the envisaged models provided an acceptable fit for the available data. A three-factor solution for FAS and a two-factor solution for FAM were therefore detected. Construct validity was supported by convergent and criterion-related data, internal consistency was satisfactory for all subscales, and both instruments revealed a high level of sensitivity to change. Overall, psychometric quality of both measures showed to be fairly good and comparable to those found in the original study, thus suggesting their application in treatment programs for non-English speakers.