Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) Test

People considering whether a structured reflection could clarify difficult relationship experiences may use the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) Test as a focused self-report exercise. Because it asks about interpersonal needs, it may suit readers considering an interpersonal needs assessment as a structured way to reflect on present relationships. The result organizes those reflections into two related dimensions, giving readers a profile to consider alongside personal context.

What This Assessment Measures

The questionnaire examines two experiences from interpersonal theory: whether a person feels connected to others and whether they believe their existence weighs negatively on other people. Its prompts cover loneliness, support, closeness, available confidants, and enjoyable contact, alongside thoughts of being unwanted, harmful, or better absent. The INQ questionnaire focuses on perceived interpersonal states rather than personality labels.

The result is organized through these two displayed scales:

• Perceived Thwarted Belongingness (6-42) measures perceived social isolation and an unmet need for belonging; Low 6-17, Moderate 18-29, and High 30-42 indicate increasing levels of this pattern.
• Perceived Burdensomeness (6-42) measures the sense that one is a burden to others; Low 6-17, Moderate 18-29, and High 30-42 indicate increasing perceived unwantedness or burden.

Higher scores indicate stronger endorsement of the relevant experience at the time of responding.

Methodology and Evidence Base

Each item uses a seven-point agreement scale, from completely untrue to completely true. Six prompts address belongingness and six address burdensomeness. The questionnaire reports separate scores for the two dimensions, interpreted through the displayed result bands.

Published evidence closest to this subject comes from the INQ-12, evaluated by Freedenthal and colleagues in 2011. A 2012 study by Van Orden, Cukrowicz, Witte, and Joiner examined its construct validity and psychometric properties. A 2010 paper by Van Orden and colleagues describes the model linking thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness with suicidal desire. The online version is a self-report presentation rather than a standardized administration of the published INQ-12, so its scores should not inherit that instrument’s norms or psychometric estimates.

The resulting profile from this online INQ test summarizes current self-reports about belongingness and burdensomeness. Mood, circumstances, self-awareness, and willingness to disclose can affect answers. Displayed bands describe questionnaire levels, not diagnostic cutoffs or predictions of behavior. If the items raise immediate safety concerns, seek prompt support from a trusted person or local crisis service.