Citation

Fuse T, Forsyth JP, Marx B, Gallup GG, Weaver S. J. Anxiety Disord. 2007; 21(3): 265-283.

Affiliation

University at Albany, SUNY, Department of Psychology, Social Sciences 369, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, United States. tiffanyfuse@aol.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.05.004

PMID

16854560

Abstract

Tonic immobility (TI) is an involuntary component of the fear response that is characterized by freezing or immobility in situations involving extreme fear coupled with physical restraint. The present investigation evaluated the factor structure of the Tonic Immobility Scale (TIS; Forsyth, J. P., Marx, B., Fusé, T. M. K., Heidt, J., & Gallup, G. G., Jr. (2000). The Tonic Immobility Scale. Albany, NY: Authors)--a newly developed measure to assess components of TI in female sexual assault survivors. Study 1 (N=88) consisted of an Exploratory Factor Analysis of sexual assault survivors' responses on the TIS, whereas Study 2 (N=191) involved a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with a second independent sample of female sexual assault survivors. Findings from both studies suggest that the TIS is comprised of two independent factors: physical immobility and fear. Findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical and practical implications of the factor solution obtained, particularly with regard to evaluating TI in adult survivors of sexual assault.

Language: en