On the Structure of Fears of Evaluation: Testing for a General Factor and Its Validity in Bifactor Models

The Bivalent Fear of Evaluation model posits that individuals with social-anxiety experience both Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) and Fear of Positive Evaluation (FPE). Previous research has empirically supported a two-factor structure comprising FNE and FPE. More recently, theoretical reviews and empirical studies have turned to a broader construct, Fear of General Evaluation (FGE). Here, we sought to examine the existence and validity of FGE in two samples (644 Chinese undergraduates and 448 junior high school students). We captured two distinct measures of FNE and FPE, along with mental-health outcomes (social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and depression). The findings showed that both the two-factor and bifactor models fit the data well, with a slightly better fit for the bifactor model. The bifactor diagnostics also suggested that a reliable general factor likely exists. Moreover, FGE showed a clear pattern of criterion-related associations, relating most strongly to social anxiety and more moderately to generalized anxiety and depression. In conclusion, our results advance a plausible bifactor account of fears of evaluation, emphasizing the role of FGE in social anxiety and outlining implications for clinical practice.