Home1
Psychological tests2
Symptom Checklist of Well-Being3

Symptom Checklist of Well-Being Test

In about eight minutes, the Symptom Checklist of Well-Being Test guides you through 42 yes-or-no questions about stress-related experiences, sleep, mood, energy, bodily reactions, and adjustment. Your result highlights patterns that may affect everyday functioning, offering a structured starting point for self-reflection and a clearer view of your current state.

Questions: 428 minutes

Symptom Checklist of Well-Being Test: sample question card

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

17,829 views

1,273 completions

1,094 likes

Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

1,094 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

MaladaptationM

Maladaptation measures how much a person is struggling to adjust effectively to changing demands and conditions in their environment.

example score3/6

3/6Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 4Moderate

5 – 6High

A score of 3 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting some noticeable difficulties with adjustment that may affect social or professional functioning under stress.

Anxiety and FearsAaF

Measures the intensity of internal tension, worry, and stress-related fears.

example score4/6

4/6Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 4Moderate

5 – 6High

A score of 4 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting noticeable but not extreme anxiety and fear responses to stressful demands.

Sleep DisturbancesSD

Assesses stress-related sleep difficulties such as trouble falling asleep, frequent awakenings, and poor sleep quality.

example score3/6

3/6Moderate disturbanceexample score

0 – 2Low disturbance

3 – 4Moderate disturbance

5 – 6High disturbance

A score of 3 indicates a moderate level of sleep disturbance, suggesting noticeable stress-related sleep difficulties.

Autonomic InstabilityAI

Measures the intensity of autonomic (vegetative) stress reactions such as palpitations, sweating, and trembling.

example score3/6

3/6Moderateexample score

0 – 2Low

3 – 4Moderate

5 – 6High

A score of 3 falls in the Moderate range, indicating a noticeable but not pronounced level of autonomic stress symptoms.

Emotional InstabilityEI

Measures the tendency toward frequent mood swings and sensitivity to stress that can affect emotional control.

example score3/6

3/6Moderate labilityexample score

0 – 2Stable

3 – 4Moderate lability

5 – 6High instability

A score of 3 indicates moderate emotional lability, suggesting occasional noticeable mood fluctuations under stress while generally remaining manageable.

Volitional ImpairmentVI

Assesses the degree of decline in volitional control, including determination, self-regulation, and follow-through on intentions.

example score3/6

3/6Reduced willexample score

0 – 2Intact will

3 – 4Reduced will

5 – 6Marked disruption

A score of 3 falls in the “Reduced will” range, suggesting a moderate decrease in self-regulation and consistency in carrying out intentions under stress.

Psychophysical FatiguePF

Measures the degree of tiredness and reduced performance associated with stress-related strain.

example score3/6

3/6Moderate fatigueexample score

0 – 2Low fatigue

3 – 4Moderate fatigue

5 – 6High fatigue

A score of 3 indicates moderate psychophysical fatigue, suggesting noticeable tiredness with some reduction in energy and efficiency.

Total Neuroticism IndexTNI

Measures overall psychological resilience and adaptability to stress and extreme conditions, where higher scores indicate greater neurotic symptom burden.

example score9/42

9/42Lowexample score

0 – 15Low

16 – 26Moderate

27 – 42High

A score of 9 falls in the Low range, suggesting generally good stress adaptation and psychological stability under demanding conditions.

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Active-duty service members

46%OF USERS

They take it to quickly gauge fatigue, stress reactions, sleep quality, anxiety, and self-control during ongoing duties and deployments.

Commanders and unit psychologists

34%OF USERS

They use it for routine monitoring to spot early risk of breakdowns, addictions, or autonomic stress signs and arrange timely support.

Recruits and trainees

20%OF USERS

They take it to track adaptation to training loads and identify emerging emotional instability or exhaustion before performance drops.

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

MaladaptationM

You?

Average3.8

Typical rangeTypical3 – 4.7

Possible0 – 6

Anxiety and FearsAaF

You?

Average2.6

Typical rangeTypical1.8 – 3.5

Possible0 – 6

Sleep DisordersSD

You?

Average2.3

Typical rangeTypical1.4 – 3.2

Possible0 – 6

Vegetative InstabilityVI

You?

Average1.9

Typical rangeTypical1.1 – 2.8

Possible0 – 6

Emotional InstabilityEI

You?

Average2.3

Typical rangeTypical1.3 – 3.4

Possible0 – 6

Violation of WillVoW

You?

Average3.3

Typical rangeTypical2.5 – 4.1

Possible0 – 6

Psychophysical FatiguePF

You?

Average4.4

Typical rangeTypical3.4 – 5.4

Possible0 – 6

Total Neuroticism ScoreTNS

You?

Average14

Typical rangeTypical7.2 – 20.8

Possible0 – 42

Featured On

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

This questionnaire assesses characteristics of current well-being during the present period. Please provide a definitive response to each of the 42 items by selecting either “Yes” or “No.”

- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No

These are 3 of the 42 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Symptom Checklist of Well-Being Test - Description and methodology of the test

instability

neuronalization

occupational psychology

For readers trying to understand how stress may be affecting everyday functioning, the Symptom Checklist of Well-Being Test offers a structured profile rather than a single general score. It is relevant to people noticing changes in mood, sleep, energy, bodily sensations, self-control, or social adjustment. This stress symptom checklist can show which areas stand out and provide a focused starting point for self-reflection.

What This Assessment Explores

It examines psychological, physical, behavioral, and functional stress signs. As a well-being questionnaire, it shows where strain or adaptation difficulty is concentrated. The result groups them as follows:

Anxiety and Fears (0-6) measures worry and fear: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-4; High 5-6.
Maladaptation (0-6) measures adjustment difficulty: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-4; High 5-6.
Sleep Disturbances (0-6) measures sleep problems: Low disturbance 0-2; Moderate disturbance 3-4; High disturbance 5-6.
Autonomic Instability (0-6) measures bodily stress reactions: Low 0-2; Moderate 3-4; High 5-6.
Emotional Instability (0-6) measures mood lability: Stable 0-2; Moderate lability 3-4; High instability 5-6.
Volitional Impairment (0-6) measures self-regulation: Intact will 0-2; Reduced will 3-4; Marked disruption 5-6.
Psychophysical Fatigue (0-6) measures stress-related tiredness: Low fatigue 0-2; Moderate fatigue 3-4; High fatigue 5-6.
Total Neuroticism Index (0-42) measures adaptation and stress tolerance: Low 0-15; Moderate 16-26; High 27-42.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

Each item is a brief Yes-or-No statement covering intrusive thoughts, fears, mood, withdrawal, sleep, fatigue, motivation, social strain, substance or alcohol coping, and bodily reactions. Endorsement is recorded, not frequency, intensity, duration, or cause.

The result reports seven domain scores and one combined index. Higher scores generally reflect more endorsed difficulties, but the displayed ranges do not reveal the item key or each answer’s weighting. Lower total scores indicate better adaptation and stress tolerance; higher totals may signal more pronounced neurotic symptoms. The bands organize a profile rather than a universal severity rule.

The closest conceptual reference is the Volkov-Vodopyanova questionnaire (2009). This form is conceptually consistent with that work, not automatically a standardized adaptation. Ekimova et al. (2020) connect related stress and adaptation measures with rescue-diver success, while Kuzyukova et al. (2025) review this questionnaire among stress-assessment instruments.

Because this stress assessment questionnaire relies on self-report, current context, self-awareness, and response bias can affect results; its bands are not universal clinical cutoffs, and this form does not establish norms, reliability, or diagnostic validity.

Author: Carol D. Ryff, Ed Diener

Literature:

Volkov, A., & Vodopyanova, N. (2009). Symptomatic Questionnaire “Well-Being in Extreme Conditions.” In N. E. Vodopyanova (Ed.), Psychodiagnostics of Stress: Workshop (pp. 31-33). St. Petersburg: Piter.
Ekimova, V., Frolova, A., Kokurin, A., & Koteneva, A. (2020). Prognostic Model of Professional Successfulness of Rescue-Divers. Psikhologicheskii Zhurnal, 41(1), 31-44. 10.31857/S020595920007314-1
Kuzyukova, A. A., Pekhova, Y. G., Odarushenko, O. I., Levchenko, N. A., & Marchenkova, L. A. (2025). Current Scales and Questionnaires for Assessing Stress Conditions and Their Application in Medicine: a Review. Bulletin of Rehabilitation Medicine, 24(2), 71-86. 10.38025/2078-1962-2025-24-2-71-86

Updated: 2025-10-02