Agoraphobia Evaluation Questionnaire

The Agoraphobia Evaluation Questionnaire (AQ) is a targeted clinical measure designed to assess the severity of agoraphobia by mapping a patient's avoidance…

Questions: 15
Duration: 5 min
Original title: Questionnaire d'évaluation de l'agoraphobie
Adaptation: Agoraphobia Evaluation Questionnaire
Authors: Marchand, A. & Letarte, A.
Created: 1993

The Agoraphobia Evaluation Questionnaire (AQ) is a targeted clinical measure designed to assess the severity of agoraphobia by mapping a patient's avoidance behaviors and dependency on safety signals, such as being accompanied by a trusted person. Developed by Marchand and Letarte, this 15-item instrument provides a direct window into the functional impairment caused by panic disorder with agoraphobia. By exploring a graduated list of daily situations, from staying home alone to traveling by plane, it helps understand the anxiety experience by capturing both the subtle restrictions and the overt limitations that characterize agoraphobic distress.

For mental health clinicians, the AQ represents a valuable baseline and progress-monitoring tool. It moves beyond simply asking if a patient fears a situation, explicitly quantifying whether they can manage it alone, if they rely on maladaptive coping strategies like safety behaviors, or if they avoid it entirely.

Because it yields a clear severity score, the AQ helps structure exposure hierarchies and facilitates psychoeducation. Routinely tracking this measure throughout therapy allows both the clinician and the patient to visualize concrete gains in autonomy and the reduction of agoraphobia symptoms over the course of graded exposure work.

Example result

Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.

Overall score

30/ 60

The AQ is a 15-item self-report questionnaire developed by André Marchand and Andrée Letarte. It assesses the degree of agoraphobic avoidance across various everyday situations (being alone, traveling away from home, using transportation, being in enclosed or crowded places). It takes into account both pure avoidance and the use of safety behaviors (accompanying person, medication). It allows measuring the impact of agoraphobia on autonomy and tracking progress during cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

0–3

Below the first described band

4–15

Mild difficulties, control maintained

16–30

Significant limitation of activities

31–60

Severe impact

Avoidance clearly restricts daily life; a consultation is indicated.

Scoring

Sum, total score from 0 to 60, each item is scored on a 5-point scale (from 0 to 4).

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What the test measures

The Agoraphobia Evaluation Questionnaire evaluates the behavioral restriction and loss of autonomy resulting from agoraphobia. It breaks down the patient's capacity to navigate common environments into specific functional dimensions:

Proximity to home: The ability to stay home alone or walk in the immediate neighborhood.
Daily errands: Navigating local stores, waiting in lines, or managing personal appointments.
Enclosed spaces: The capacity to handle environments that might feel restricting, such as elevators, restaurants, and movie theaters.
Mobility and transit: Driving locally, using public transportation, or traveling long distances by plane.
Dependency: The reliance on a companion or precautions to endure a situation instead of avoiding it completely.

This instrument is intended for adults presenting with panic disorder symptoms or agoraphobia, to establish functional limitations and guide treatment planning.

When and why to use it

Clinicians typically administer the Agoraphobia Evaluation Questionnaire at intake and at regular intervals throughout treatment. It is particularly useful for establishing a clear picture of the patient's functional autonomy.

Intake baseline: To identify the precise scope of the patient's avoidance and gauge the baseline severity of their agoraphobia.
Treatment planning: To collaboratively select targets for graded exposure by identifying situations the patient can face with precautions versus those they avoid entirely.
Monitoring progress: To track clinical improvements during cognitive-behavioral therapy, functioning as a structured anxiety check-in over time.
Differentiating dependency: To distinguish between a patient who manages an environment freely and one who requires a safe person to navigate panic disorder triggers.

Using a validated score adds precision to the clinical impression by breaking down avoidance into measurable degrees of autonomy, ensuring subtle shifts in safety behavior reliance are recognized.

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The questions

Here is a number of situations. Read each statement and choose the response that best describes how you feel or how you act when faced with this situation currently. Do not spend too much time on each item, but give the answer that best reflects your current state.
1. You are able to stay at home.
Assesses the fundamental capacity to tolerate solitude without the immediate presence of a safety figure.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
2. You go for a walk in the street near your home.
Probes the ability to manage low-level separation from the immediate safety of the home environment.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
3. You go out to the corner store.
Evaluates the capacity to complete brief, local errands that involve minor social and physical exposure.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
4. You get around by car in the surrounding area.
Measures autonomy in local transit and the ability to manage personal mobility.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
5. You can eat at a restaurant.
Explores the tolerance for enclosed public spaces where an immediate or unnoticed exit might feel socially difficult.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
6. You can wait in line at the grocery store or the bank.
Assesses the capacity to endure situations where the person is physically constrained by social norms and wait times.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
7. You are able to take elevators.
Probes the fear of highly enclosed spaces where physical escape is temporarily impossible.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
8. You can get around using public transportation.
Evaluates the ability to use shared transit, which often involves crowding and a lack of direct control over the route.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
9. You can go more than 10 km from your home.
Measures the capacity to distance oneself significantly from the primary safe zone.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
10. You go to the hair salon or the doctor's office.
Assesses the tolerance for personal service appointments where the individual must remain seated and committed for a set duration.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
11. You go to see shows or to the movies.
Explores the ability to remain in dark, crowded, and enclosed entertainment venues.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
12. You go to large shopping malls.
Probes the capacity to navigate vast, crowded, and highly stimulating commercial environments.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
13. You go to parties, bowling, bingo, etc.
Evaluates participation in social and recreational events that require sustained presence in group settings.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
14. You are able to travel to another city without worrying about bridges, highways, hospitals, etc.
Assesses the ability to undertake significant travel without being preoccupied by structural triggers or the distance to medical help.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation
15. You feel able to travel by plane.
Measures the capacity to endure one of the most physically restrictive travel environments.
- Alone, without difficulty
- Alone, but with certain precautions
- Accompanied, without any other difficulty
- Accompanied, but with certain restrictions or medication
- No, I completely avoid the situation