Brief Description
The Penn State Worry Questionnaire - 10 (PSWQ-10) is an adapted, shortened version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, which is designed to measure the trait of worry in adults. Worry is regarded as a dominant feature of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The PSWQ-10 is typically used as a tool to measure symptoms over time, given its sensitivity and short length. This questionnaire can be used in clinical and non-clinical settings as a screening for symptoms of worrying and symptom tracking tool. Respondents rate how often they experience the worry symptoms listed (e.g., “My worries overwhelmed me”) during the past week on a scale from “Never” to “Almost always.”
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
10
Age Range for Administration
18+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Weekly
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The PSWQ-10 contains 10 items that are scored on a 7-point Likert scale from 0 (“Never”) to 6 (“Almost always”). A total score is calculated by summing the item responses, with higher scores being associated with higher amounts of worry.
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 2-5 minutes
The PSWQ-10 shows sensitivity to change over time.
There is evidence supporting the use of the PSWQ-10 among perinatal populations.
There is the full 16-item version of the PSWQ available for use as well as a child version of the PSWQ for children ages 7-17 (PSWQ-C).
Citation
Yao, B., Sripada, R. K., Klumpp, H., Abelson, J. L., Muzik, M., Zhao, Z., Rosenblum, K., Briggs, H., Kaston, M., & Warren, R. (2016). Penn State Worry Questionnaire—10: A new tool for measurement-based care. Psychiatry Research, 239, 62–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2016.02.069
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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