State-Trait Anxiety Inventory – State Short Form

STAI-6Anxiety

6 items

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

Scoring

Items 1, 4, 5 (calm, relaxed, content) are reverse-scored. Mean of all items (1–4), then multiply by 20 for a 20–80 score comparable to the full STAI.

Citation

Marteau, T. M., & Bekker, H. (1992). The development of a six-item short-form of the state scale of the Spielberger State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 31(3), 301–306.

doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.1992.tb00997.x

License: Free for research use.

Items (6)

#1likertR

I feel calm.

14 · "Not at all" → "Very much so"

#2likert

I feel tense.

14 · "Not at all" → "Very much so"

#3likert

I feel upset.

14 · "Not at all" → "Very much so"

#4likertR

I feel relaxed.

14 · "Not at all" → "Very much so"

#5likertR

I feel content.

14 · "Not at all" → "Very much so"

#6likert

I feel worried.

14 · "Not at all" → "Very much so"

Use this scale in your own ESM/EMA study — embed it as a survey within SMAAT.