Brief Description
The Wellbeing-Index 5 (WHO-5) assesses subjective psychological wellbeing. The measure was first introduced in 1998 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of a project on well-being measures in primary health care; the WHO-5 was derived from the WHO-10, which in turn was derived from the original 28-item rating scale. The WHO-5 has been found to have adequate validity in screening for depression and can be used as a screener or as a way to measure progress through treatment. Respondents rate how often they experience the wellbeing symptoms listed over the last two weeks (e.g., “I have felt cheerful and in good spirits”) on a scale from “At no time” to “All of the time.”
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
5
Age Range for Administration
9+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Every two weeks
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The WHO-5 contains 5 questions scored on a 6-point Likert scale with values from 0 (“At no time”) to 5 (“All of the time”). A raw total score is calculated by summing the item responses and ranges from 0 to 25; higher scores are associated with higher levels of wellbeing. A raw total score of below 13 indicates poor wellbeing and further testing for depression is recommended.
Note: A percentage score, ranging from 0-100, can be obtained by multiplying the raw score by 4.
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 1-2 minutes
Given that the WHO-5 has been found to have adequate validity in screening for depression, scores of 0 or 1 on any item or a raw total score below 13 is an indication for further assessment of depression.
Citation
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
We're here for you!
Do you have follow-up questions? We're here and happy to help!
Send us an email at help@blueprint-health.com or use the help messenger in the lower right corner to speak with our Support team. 💪🏼