Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)
Psychology: Mental HealthReliability: alpha 0.933 sample items
About this scale
A 16-item self-report measure of pathological worry — frequency, intensity, and uncontrollability — central to GAD assessment.
Sample item(s)
“My worries overwhelm me”
“Many situations make me worry”
“Once I start worrying I cannot stop”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.93. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Free for academic use.
Source & citation
Meyer, T. J., Miller, M. L., Metzger, R. L., & Borkovec, T. D. (1990): Development and validation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Behaviour Research and Therapy, Vol. 28, No. 6, pp. 487–495.
Meyer, Miller, Metzger & Borkovec (1990): PSWQ. BRT, 28(6), 487–495.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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