Penn State Worry Questionnaire

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is a globally recognized, 16-item self-report measure specifically developed to capture the clinical trait of…

Questions: 16
Duration: 5 min
Original title: PSWQ — Penn State Worry Questionnaire
Adaptation: Penn State Worry Questionnaire
Authors: Meyer, T.J., Miller, M.L., Metzger, R.L., & Borkovec, T.D.
Created: 1990

The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is a globally recognized, 16-item self-report measure specifically developed to capture the clinical trait of pathological worry. Distinct from assessments that measure general anxiety or physiological arousal, the PSWQ focuses strictly on the cognitive dimension of worry—evaluating its intensity, duration, and the degree to which it feels uncontrollable. This makes it an essential tool for identifying central CBT maintenance loops and monitoring symptom change.

In clinical practice, the PSWQ is highly valued for its ability to discriminate normal, situational concern from the pervasive, ego-dystonic worry characteristic of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Because it evaluates the worry process itself rather than specific worry themes, it remains stable and relevant across diverse patient presentations. By establishing a longitudinal case formulation, clinicians can use this robust, repeatable measure to track how effectively a patient is learning to recognize and disengage from cognitive distortions over the course of treatment.

Example result

Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.

Overall score

46/ 80

A 16-item self-report questionnaire assessing the general and enduring tendency to worry (trait worry) in adults. Unlike scales focused on specific themes or physical symptoms, the PSWQ targets the worry process itself: its excessive, chronic, uncontrollable, and pervasive nature. It is particularly used for screening and monitoring generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

16–28

Very low

29–38

Low

39–48

Moderate

49–59

High

60–80

Very high

généralemixed · general population · n = 244 · Gillis et al. (1995)

1680

M = 42.2 ± 11.5

généralemixed · general population · 18–44 years · Gillis et al. (1995)

1680

M = 43.5 ± 12.1

généralemixed · general population · 45–65 years · Gillis et al. (1995)

1680

M = 38.9 ± 9

généralemixed · general population · 16–84 years · Netherlands · n = 842 · 2009 · van der Heiden et al. (2009)

1680

M = 42.4 ± 11.8

généralemixed · general population · 18–70 years · Australia · n = 76 · 2025 · Wilson et al. (2025)

1680

M = 32.46 ± 9.7

cliniquemixed · pathology: GAD · n = 187 · Behar et al. (2003)

1680

M = 67.45 ± 7.99

cliniquemixed · pathology: GAD · 19–66 years · Netherlands · n = 102 · 2009 · van der Heiden et al. (2009)

1680

M = 67.1 ± 8.8

cliniquemixed · pathology: GAD · 18–70 years · Australia · n = 140 · 2025 · Wilson et al. (2025)

1680

M = 66.98 ± 8.68

For information

Cut-off≥ 59Normal / pathological worry boundary (community P90 ≈ GAD P10)

A score of 58 or 59 on the full-length version [...] appeared to differentiate between the two samples, and thus seems to indicate the boundary between normal and pathological worrying.

van der Heiden et al. (2009)View the study ↗

Cut-off> 50GAD vs. non-clinical (full-length 16-item version, Se 97.1% / Sp 94.7%, AUC 0.99)

Table 5 — 16-item PSWQ: Cutoff score >50, Sensitivity (95% CI) 97.14 (92.8–99.2), Specificity (95% CI) 94.74 (87.1–98.5), AUC 0.99 (0.97–0.99) — comparing adults with GAD (n = 140) to non-clinical participants.

Wilson et al. (2025)View the study ↗

Scoring

Sum (including reverse-scored items), total score from 16 to 80, each item scored on a 5-point scale (from 1 to 5).

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What the test measures

The PSWQ measures the multidimensional trait of pathological worry, focusing on the cognitive processes rather than specific themes or somatic symptoms.

Excessiveness: The degree to which worrying is disproportionate to actual events, often linked to catastrophizing.
Pervasiveness: The tendency for worry to generalize across multiple domains of life and persist over time.
Uncontrollability: The subjective difficulty the patient experiences in trying to interrupt, dismiss, or stop the worry process once it begins.
Distress: The emotional burden and overwhelming nature of chronic worrying, which may drive confronting avoidance behaviors.

The instrument is validated for adults and is widely used across clinical populations to assess the cognitive features of anxiety.

When and why to use it

Clinicians routinely integrate the PSWQ into both initial assessments and ongoing treatment to evaluate the cognitive architecture of a patient's anxiety.

Intake baseline: Establishes the severity of trait worry at the beginning of therapy, helping to conceptualize the patient's cognitive case formulation.
Differential support: Helps distinguish generalized, uncontrollable worry from situational anxiety, panic, or purely physiological arousal.
Monitoring change: Tracks fluctuations in the uncontrollability of worry across sessions, offering an objective measure of therapeutic progress.
Evaluating interventions: Measures the impact of specific restructuring efforts, such as challenging anxious thoughts, on the underlying worry process.

Using a validated score adds precision to the clinical impression, providing a quantifiable metric of the patient's subjective struggle with repetitive automatic thoughts and offering concrete data to guide treatment decisions.

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The questions

Please use the scale below to indicate how typical or characteristic each of the following statements is of you. Select the number that best represents you for each statement.
1. If I don't have enough time to do everything, I don't worry about it.
Assesses the patient's ability to tolerate time pressure without triggering a worry response.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
2. My worries overwhelm me.
Evaluates the subjective emotional distress and weight caused by the patient's worrying.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
3. I don't tend to worry about things.
Captures the patient's general disposition toward a worry-free baseline.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
4. Many situations make me worry.
Probes the pervasiveness of worry triggers across varied daily contexts.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
5. I know I shouldn't worry, but I can't help it.
Examines the ego-dystonic nature of worry and the perceived inability to control it.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
6. When I'm under pressure, I worry a lot.
Measures the exacerbation of worry symptoms during periods of elevated stress.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
7. I am constantly worrying about everything.
Assesses the chronicity and continuous nature of the worry cycle.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
8. It's easy for me to get rid of worrying thoughts.
Evaluates the effectiveness of the patient's internal mechanisms for thought dismissal.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
9. As soon as I finish one task, I immediately start worrying about all the other things I still have to do.
Probes the continuous chaining of worry and difficulty maintaining present-moment focus.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
10. I never worry.
Acts as an absolute measure of the absence of trait worry.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
11. When I can't do anything more about a concern, I stop worrying about it.
Assesses the ability to disengage from worry once problem-solving options are exhausted.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
12. I've been a worrier all my life.
Evaluates the patient's perception of worry as a lifelong, stable personality trait.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
13. I notice that I worry about certain things.
Captures the patient's metacognitive awareness of their own worrying behavior.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
14. When I start worrying, I can't stop.
Measures the absolute uncontrollability and self-perpetuating nature of a worry episode.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
15. I worry all the time.
Assesses the pervasive, unremitting frequency of worrisome thoughts.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical
16. I worry about my projects until they are finished.
Probes the tendency for anticipatory worry to persist uninterrupted until a resolution is reached.
- Not at all typical
- Somewhat typical
- Fairly typical
- Very typical
- Extremely typical