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This self-assessment Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) , was originally developed by Meyer, Miller, Metzger, and Borkovec (1990) . TraitProfiler provides an interactive digital version for educational, informational, and self-exploration purposes only.

Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)

Background

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is one of the most widely used self-report measures of pathological worry. It was developed to assess the tendency to engage in excessive, generalized, and uncontrollable worry, which is considered a central feature of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Procedure

Participants rate how typical each statement is of them using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “Not at all typical of me” to “Very typical of me.” The questionnaire measures the intensity, excessiveness, and uncontrollability of worry.

Participation

This assessment is intended for educational, research, and self-reflection purposes only. Responses are anonymous and should not be considered a substitute for professional psychological evaluation or diagnosis.

Scoring & Interpretation

Higher scores indicate greater levels of chronic and uncontrollable worry. Several items are reverse scored before calculating the total score.

Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) Questionnaire

Instructions & Terms

Below is the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), a digitally adapted 16- items self-assessment questionnaire. This assessment does not provide a clinical diagnosis, medical determination, or substitute for professional psychological evaluation. Anonymous responses may be included in research statistics and normative datasets.



Psychometric Norms

3
Participants
61%
Community Mean
6.9%
Sample SD
70%
Highest Observed Score
53%
Lowest Observed Score
2026–2026
Collection Period

All response data are collected anonymously through Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and are intended exclusively for educational, psychometric, and non-commercial research purposes. Privacy Policy | Research Statistics

Sources
  1. 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, 28(6), 487–495.