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Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS-R)3

Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS-R) Test

In about 6 minutes, it helps clarify your anxiety level during pregnancy and the first year after birth. Quick 31-item screen flags key concerns early to guide the right support.

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Questions: 316 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

16,196 views

1,913 completions

1,538 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

2/3

Phobia (P)

Assesses the intensity of specific fears (phobic reactions) related to particular objects or situations during the perinatal period.

Low

Moderate

High

0: Low | 1 – 2: Moderate | 3: High

A score of 2 indicates a moderate level of specific fear, suggesting noticeable phobic reactions in certain situations.

example score

8/12

Adjustment Difficulties (Dissociation) (AD)

Assesses dissociative symptoms and related difficulties adapting during the perinatal period.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 3: Low | 4 – 7: Moderate | 8 – 12: High

A score of 8 falls in the High range, suggesting more pronounced dissociative experiences and notable adaptation difficulties in the perinatal period.

example score

6/15

Specific Fears (SF)

Assesses the intensity of specific perinatal fears related to pregnancy, childbirth, and early caregiving.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 4: Low | 5 – 9: Moderate | 10 – 15: High

A score of 6 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting some specific fears are present but not at a high intensity.

example score

11/15

Obsessive Perfectionism (OP)

Measures the degree of perfectionistic, control-focused and potentially obsessional anxiety tendencies during the perinatal period.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 10: Moderate | 11 – 15: High

A score of 11 falls in the High range, suggesting a strong drive for control and continual improvement that may be linked to more obsessive, perfectionistic anxiety patterns.

example score

6/12

Social Anxiety (SA)

Measures anxiety and avoidance tendencies related to social interactions during the perinatal period.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 4: Low | 5 – 8: Moderate | 9 – 12: High

A score of 6 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not extreme level of social interaction-related anxiety.

example score

33/36

Acute And Intrusive Anxiety (AAIA)

Assesses the intensity of acute, intrusive anxiety symptoms such as sudden anxious surges, obsessive thoughts, and panic-like reactions during the perinatal period.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 12: Low | 13 – 24: Moderate | 25 – 36: High

A score of 33 falls in the High range, indicating a pronounced level of acute and intrusive anxiety symptoms on this subscale.

example score

70/93

Perinatal Anxiety Level (PAL)

Measures overall intensity of anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and the first postpartum year.

Low

Elevated

High

0 – 25: Low | 26 – 41: Elevated | 42 – 93: High

A score of 70 falls in the High range, indicating a high level of perinatal anxiety symptoms and possible impact on well-being and adaptation.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Pregnant women feeling worried

46%OF USERS

Expectant mothers take it to check whether their worries, fears, or physical tension during pregnancy may indicate elevated anxiety.

New mothers postpartum

34%OF USERS

Women in the first year after birth use it to understand persistent anxiety, intrusive thoughts, or stress that affects bonding and daily functioning.

Clinicians screening patients

20%OF USERS

Healthcare and mental health professionals use it to quickly screen perinatal clients and decide whether further assessment or support is needed.

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

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.

Phobia (P)

Average

1.1

Normal range

0.7 — 1.6

min.

max.

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.

Adaptation Issues (Dissociation) (AI()

Average

7.3

Normal range

5.6 — 9

min.

max.

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.

Specific Fears (SF)

Average

4.7

Normal range

2.5 — 6.8

min.

max.

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.

Obsessive Perfectionism (OP)

Average

Normal range

5.5 — 10.6

min.

max.

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.

Social Anxiety (SA)

Average

4.4

Normal range

2.6 — 6.2

min.

max.

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.

Acute and intrusive anxiety (Aaia)

Average

18.9

Normal range

12.4 — 25.4

min.

max.

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.

Level of perinatal anxiety (Lopa)

Average

68.4

Normal range

55 — 81.8

min.

max.

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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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

How often during the past month have you experienced the following? Please select the response that most accurately describes your experience for each item.

- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Almost always
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Almost always
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Almost always

These are 3 of the 31 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS-R) Test - Symptoms and Signs

pregnancy

motherhood

anxiety disorder

Anxiety symptoms are common during pregnancy and the first year postpartum and can affect functioning and maternal-infant well-being. The Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS-R) is a brief self-report measure designed to screen for the presence and severity of anxiety symptoms in the perinatal period.

It includes 31 items and typically takes about 6 minutes to complete. Items query anxiety-related experiences relevant to pregnancy and early parenting, supporting identification of symptom patterns that may warrant further clinical assessment.

The Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS-R) is intended for use in clinical and community settings as an initial screening tool and should be interpreted in the context of clinical history and current presentation. It is attributed to J. M. Holden, J. L. Cox, and R. Sagovsky.

Author: J. L. Cox, J. M. Holden, R. Sagovsky

Literature: Somerville, S., Dedman, K., Hagan, R., Oxnam, E., Wettinger, M., Byrne, S., Coo, S., & Doherty, D. Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale: development and preliminary validation. Archives of Women’s Mental Health. 2014.