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Sense of Safety Questionnaire (SQ)3

Sense of Safety Questionnaire (SQ) Test

With 16 questions, the Sense of Safety Questionnaire (SQ) Test takes about 3 minutes and explores how secure, capable, and socially protected you feel across everyday situations. Your result can clarify patterns of confidence, interpersonal trust, and perceived safety, supporting focused self-reflection.

Questions: 163 minutes

Sense of Safety Questionnaire: situation and reply bubbles

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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2,240 completions

1,866 likes

Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

1,866 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Confidence in ControlCiC

Measures how predictable and manageable a person feels life events are and how much control they believe they have over their own actions and circumstances.

example score12/40

12/40Low control confidenceexample score

8 – 19Low control confidence

20 – 40High control confidence

A score of 12 falls in the Low control confidence range, suggesting the person currently experiences limited predictability and reduced confidence in managing situations.

Interpersonal SafetyIS

Measures how safe and confident a person feels in interpersonal interactions and relationships.

example score23/40

23/40Low interpersonal safetyexample score

8 – 24Low interpersonal safety

25 – 40High interpersonal safety

A score of 23 falls in the low interpersonal safety range, suggesting some caution or tension in social situations with limited felt trust or comfort.

Sense of SafetySoS

Measures the overall subjective sense of safety and confidence in one’s protection across different life situations.

example score66/80

66/80Moderate safetyexample score

16 – 45Low safety

46 – 74Moderate safety

75 – 80High safety

A score of 66 indicates a moderate sense of safety, suggesting generally stable psychological comfort with some remaining sensitivity to stress in certain situations.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Anxious and stressed adults

41%OF USERS

People who often feel tense, unsafe, or overwhelmed take it to understand how strong their inner sense of control is under stress.

Therapy and coaching clients

34%OF USERS

Clients in counseling use it to quickly map their “threat vs strength” balance and choose clear targets for improving resilience and self-esteem.

High-pressure professionals

25%OF USERS

Those working in demanding roles take it to check how well they cope with risk and pressure and where they may feel vulnerable.

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.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Confidence in ControlCiC

You?

Average19.9

Typical rangeTypical14.2 – 25.5

Possible8 – 40

Interpersonal SafetyIS

You?

Average22.2

Typical rangeTypical16.6 – 27.9

Possible8 – 40

Sense of SafetySoS

You?

Average56.2

Typical rangeTypical48.1 – 64.3

Possible16 – 80

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Applies
- Rather applies than does not apply
- Hard to say
- Rather does not apply than applies
- Does not apply
- True
- More true than not true
- Hard to say
- More not true than true
- Not true
- Applies to me
- Applies to me rather than does not apply
- Hard to say
- Does not apply rather than applies
- Does not apply

These are 3 of the 16 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Sense of Safety Questionnaire (SQ) Test - Description and methodology of the test

security

People who want to understand why ordinary situations sometimes feel manageable and sometimes unsafe can use the Sense of Safety Questionnaire (SQ) Test as a structured self-report profile. The questionnaire examines a person's sense of safety while reflecting on confidence, relationships, uncertainty, and emotional security. The result shows how strongly inner control, interpersonal protection, and overall safety are represented in the respondent's current outlook.

What This Assessment Explores

Across the items, the focus is on doubting personal agency, expecting disorder, struggling with danger, withdrawing from authority or closeness, and fearing damaged relationships. Other themes include unspoken needs, difficulty refusing requests, social disconnection, and intense reactions after painful events. These experiences reflect perceived safety, control, and interpersonal confidence. Together, they form a safety and control profile.

The displayed result separates three dimensions:

Confidence in Control (8-40) reflects perceived predictability and ability to manage life; Low control confidence (8-19) indicates insecurity, while High control confidence (20-40) indicates greater internal control.
Interpersonal Safety (8-40) shows trust and protection in relationships; Low interpersonal safety (8-24) reflects wariness, while High interpersonal safety (25-40) reflects greater comfort with others.
Sense of Safety (16-80) shows overall perceived protection across life situations; Low safety (16-45), Moderate safety (46-74), and High safety (75-80) mark the displayed bands.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

Each of the 16 statements uses a five-point continuum, moving from applies or true through an uncertain middle option to does not apply or not true. Although wording varies, every response asks how closely the statement matches personal experience. The format is graded self-report, not a right-or-wrong task.

Responses combine into three displayed totals, and named bands classify the profile; the questionnaire presents these scale totals and result bands, while its item-level scoring formula is not specified. Read the three totals together as a present-oriented pattern across control, relationships, and overall safety.

Its closest conceptual reference is Security Questionnaire (Cong & An, 2004), which addresses personal and interpersonal security. Maslow et al. (1945) likewise treated psychological security as measurable. The Freudly questionnaire is conceptually consistent with both sources, but is not established as identical to either instrument. For this online version, the bands are descriptive rather than documented population norms or clinical thresholds. Current circumstances, self-awareness, and willingness to disclose difficult feelings can also shape the result, so read it as a present-oriented profile in context.

Author: David H. Barlow, Edna B. Foa

Literature:

Cong, Zhong, and An, Lijuan. "Developing of Security Questionnaire and Its Reliability and Validity." Chinese Mental Health Journal 18, no. 2 (2004): 97-99. 10.3321/j.issn:1000-6729.2004.02.010
Maslow, Abraham H., Elisa Hirsh, Marcella Stein, and Irma Honigmann. "A Clinically Derived Test for Measuring Psychological Security-Insecurity." The Journal of General Psychology 33, no. 1 (1945): 21-41. 10.1080/00221309.1945.10544493

Updated: 2025-10-02