Validated Scales & Surveys

The three consumption items of the WHO AUDIT, used as a brief screen for hazardous drinking. Suitable as a one-time baseline measure rather than a repeated EMA item.

A 10-item short form of the Big Five Inventory measuring the five major personality dimensions (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness). Two items per trait.

A 6-item scale measuring the ability to bounce back or recover from stress. Unique in directly assessing resilience rather than protective factors.

A 10-item short form of the CES-D measuring depressive symptom frequency over the past week. Validated for community and clinical populations.

An ultra-brief 2-item resilience measure derived from the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Captures the ability to adapt to change and bounce back from adversity.

The standardised daily sleep diary agreed by insomnia researchers and clinicians — the field standard for prospective sleep monitoring. Administer each morning about the previous night. Far more informative than a single sleep-quality rating.

The personal burnout subscale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, measuring the degree of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion experienced by a person.

An evening diary: how much of today a person felt happy, worried, calm, sad, angry, joyful, tired and stressed (0–10), and how satisfied they are with how they used their time today.

An 8-item summary measure of the respondent's self-perceived success in important areas such as relationships, self-esteem, purpose, and optimism.

The first two items of the GAD-7, used as an ultra-brief anxiety screen. Pairs naturally with the PHQ-2 as a two-minute baseline in ESM studies.

A 7-item scale measuring the severity of generalized anxiety disorder. Validated for both screening and severity assessment.

A three-item short form of the Harmony in Life Scale: a sense of balance and harmony in one's life, a concept common in many cultures but largely absent from Western well-being measures. The OECD lists it in its experimental question bank on balance and harmony, where evidence is still insufficient to recommend a single measure.

A single-item scale assessing subjective sleepiness at the moment of assessment. Highly suitable for EMA/ESM studies.

A 5-item subscale from the Medical Outcomes Study screening for general mental health (anxiety, depression, loss of behavioural/emotional control, and psychological wellbeing).

A 5-item adapted version of the MAAS for use in ecological momentary assessment, measuring present-moment attentional awareness.

Eight feelings rated for the present moment on a 0–10 scale: happy, worried, calm, sad, angry, joyful, tired and stressed. The first four, one from each quadrant of the circumplex model of affect, are the short list for frequent prompts. Positive and negative feelings are asked separately, on unipolar scales, as the OECD recommends.

A 4-item adapted version of the MSPSS assessing perceived social support from family, friends, and significant others. Suitable for use in diary and EMA protocols.

A single-item 0–10 numeric rating scale for current pain intensity. One of the most widely used and validated pain assessment tools, suitable for repeated measurement in EMA studies.

How much of yesterday a person felt happy, worried, calm, sad, angry, joyful, tired and stressed, each on a 0–10 scale. Suited to a morning diary. The first four items are the OECD short list, one feeling from each quadrant of the circumplex model of affect. The OECD module has a ninth item (smiling or laughing) that is not included in this entry. For population estimates the OECD recommends at least 2,000 respondents; in a diary study each participant answers on many days.

The first two items of the PHQ-9, used as an ultra-brief depression screen. Short enough for repeated administration in EMA protocols where the full PHQ-9 would be too burdensome.

An ultra-brief screen for anxiety and depression: the two core anxiety items of the GAD-7 (GAD-2) and the two core depression items of the PHQ (PHQ-2), over the past two weeks. The OECD recommends it for population mental health alongside its well-being modules. A screening instrument, not a measure of momentary affect.

A 9-item depression scale assessing frequency of depressive symptoms over the past two weeks. One of the most validated depression screening tools.

A 4-item short form of the Perceived Stress Scale measuring the degree to which situations in life are appraised as stressful.

Measures positive and negative affect using 10 adjectives rated on a 5-point scale. Widely used in EMA studies to assess momentary mood.

The most widely used measure of global self-esteem. Ten items assess positive and negative feelings about oneself.

A 5-item scale measuring cognitive judgments of satisfaction with one's life as a whole.

A 6-item short form of the state subscale of the STAI. Assesses transient, momentary anxiety — suitable for repeated-measure and EMA designs.

A 3-item short form of the UCLA Loneliness Scale measuring subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation.

An ultra-short 3-item version of the UWES measuring vigor, dedication, and absorption — the three core dimensions of work engagement.

A 5-item scale measuring current mental wellbeing over the past two weeks. Widely used in clinical and community settings as a screening tool for depression.