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Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ)

Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) Test

Understand how someone views a chronic condition and how stressful it feels in about 2 minutes. Eight quick items deliver a clear snapshot to guide personalized care and research.

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Questions: 82 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

14,182 views

1,352 completions

1,195 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

13/30

Perceived Illness and Treatment Control (PIaTC)

Assesses how strongly a person believes they can understand and control their illness and that treatment can effectively manage it.

Low controllability

Moderate controllability

High controllability

0 – 10: Low controllability | 11 – 20: Moderate controllability | 21 – 30: High controllability

A score of 13 indicates a moderate sense of controllability, suggesting some confidence in understanding and managing the condition and its treatment, alongside notable uncertainty.

example score

27/50

Perceived Life-Threatening Nature of Illness (PLTNoI)

Measures how strongly a person perceives their illness as life-threatening, including perceived consequences, duration, symptoms, concern, and emotional impact.

Low threat

Moderate threat

High threat

0 – 16: Low threat | 17 – 33: Moderate threat | 34 – 50: High threat

A score of 27 falls in the Moderate threat range, suggesting a noticeable but not extreme sense of illness-related danger and emotional strain.

example score

54/80

Overall Illness Threat (OIT)

Measures the overall perceived threat and emotional burden associated with the illness as a cumulative indicator.

Low threat

Moderate threat

High threat

0 – 26: Low threat | 27 – 53: Moderate threat | 54 – 80: High threat

A score of 54 falls in the High threat range, suggesting a heightened perception of danger and worry related to the illness.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

People with chronic conditions

44%OF USERS

They take it to understand how their illness affects daily life, emotions, and sense of control.

Patients starting new treatment

31%OF USERS

They use it to quickly gauge worry, perceived threat, and expectations before or during a change in care.

Researchers and clinicians

25%OF USERS

They administer it as a fast snapshot of illness perceptions to guide support and track outcomes over time.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale are translated into plain, usable insights. You won’t just get numbers — you’ll learn how your results impact your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

You’ll receive a structured, clinically-grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation, without exaggerated language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how your results compare to others. Anonymized platform data is used to create a percentile scale, which identifies whether your results are typical.

Practical
Recommendations

You’ll receive clear, actionable guidance tailored to your profile. These easy-to-implement suggestions focus on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Powered
Insights

Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Therapist

Clarify, reflect, and explore your results right away. Talk through your experience, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue.

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Perceived controllability of the illness and treatment (Pcotiat)

Average

Normal range

14.3 — 21.8

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Perception of Life-Threatening Illness (PoLI)

Average

27.9

Normal range

21.7 — 34.2

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Overall Disease Threat Level (ODTL)

Average

23.1

Normal range

8.2 — 38

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire assess?

It measures how a person views an illness and the level of emotional strain linked to it. It covers perceived impact, understanding, control, concern, and emotional response.

Who is this questionnaire intended for?

It is used with people who have an ongoing health condition or a recent diagnosis. It may be used in clinical care or research.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

It includes 8 items and usually takes about 2 minutes to complete. Responses are given using short rating scales.

How should responses be completed?

Select the rating that best reflects current views and feelings. Answer all items based on the same health condition.

How are the results used?

Scores provide a brief profile of perceived threat and emotional burden. Results can guide discussion and help target education, coping support, or treatment planning.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) Test - Symptoms and Signs

attitude towards illness

In clinical work with chronic health conditions, it can be helpful to clarify how a patient understands and emotionally responds to their illness. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) is a brief self-report measure designed to assess core cognitive and emotional representations of illness and related distress.

The measure includes 8 items and typically requires about 2 minutes to complete. Items assess perceived consequences, timeline, personal and treatment control, symptom identity, concern, coherence (understanding), and emotional response; results can support case formulation and help guide discussion of illness-related beliefs and coping. Elaine A. Wethington is cited as the author.

The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) is commonly used in medical and behavioral health settings as a rapid screening tool and as an outcome measure in research, with interpretation generally considered in conjunction with clinical context and other assessment data.

Author: Elaine A. Wethington, howard-leventhal

Literature: Leventhal, H., Meyer, D., & Nerenz, D. The common sense representation of illness danger. In Rachman, S. (Ed.), Medical psychology. Pergamon Press. 1980.; Broadbent, E., Petrie, K. J., Main, J., & Weinman, J. The brief illness perception questionnaire. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2006.

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