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Symptom Checklist of Well-Being3

Symptom Checklist of Well-Being Test

In about 8 minutes, it shows how well you handle stress and strain, from fatigue and sleep to mood and anxiety. With 42 items, it flags early risk of breakdowns and tracks changes over time for timely support.

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Questions: 428 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

13,612 views

897 completions

775 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

4/6

Anxiety and Fears (AaF)

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

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 2: Low | 3 – 4: Moderate | 5 – 6: High

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

example score

3/6

Maladaptation (M)

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

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 2: Low | 3 – 4: Moderate | 5 – 6: High

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

example score

3/6

Sleep Disturbances (SD)

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

Low disturbance

Moderate disturbance

High disturbance

0 – 2: Low disturbance | 3 – 4: Moderate disturbance | 5 – 6: High disturbance

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

example score

3/6

Autonomic Instability (AI)

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

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 2: Low | 3 – 4: Moderate | 5 – 6: High

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

example score

3/6

Emotional Instability (EI)

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

Stable

Moderate lability

High instability

0 – 2: Stable | 3 – 4: Moderate lability | 5 – 6: High instability

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

example score

3/6

Volitional Impairment (VI)

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

Intact will

Reduced will

Marked disruption

0 – 2: Intact will | 3 – 4: Reduced will | 5 – 6: Marked 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.

example score

3/6

Psychophysical Fatigue (PF)

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

Low fatigue

Moderate fatigue

High fatigue

0 – 2: Low fatigue | 3 – 4: Moderate fatigue | 5 – 6: High fatigue

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

example score

9/42

Total Neuroticism Index (TNI)

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

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 15: Low | 16 – 26: Moderate | 27 – 42: High

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

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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.

Anxiety and Fears (AaF)

Average

2.6

Normal range

1.8 — 3.5

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.

Maladaptation (M)

Average

3.8

Normal range

3 — 4.7

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.

Sleep Disorders (SD)

Average

2.3

Normal range

1.4 — 3.2

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.

Vegetative Instability (VI)

Average

1.9

Normal range

1.1 — 2.8

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.

Emotional Instability (EI)

Average

2.3

Normal range

1.3 — 3.4

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.

Violation of Will (VoW)

Average

3.3

Normal range

2.5 — 4.1

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.

Psychophysical Fatigue (PF)

Average

4.4

Normal range

3.4 — 5.4

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.

Total Neuroticism Score (TNS)

Average

Normal range

7.2 — 20.8

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

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.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Symptomatic Well-Being Questionnaire, SWQ Test

Symptom Checklist of Well-Being Test - Symptoms and Signs

instability

neuronalization

occupational psychology

This measure provides a brief, structured self-report screen of current psychological and somatic well-being. The Symptom Checklist of Well-Being is intended to support monitoring of stress-related symptoms and functional status in high-demand contexts.

The instrument includes 42 items and typically takes about 8 minutes to complete. Items assess domains commonly associated with strain and adjustment, including perceived exhaustion, self-regulation, emotional stability, autonomic/physical complaints, sleep disturbance, anxiety-related symptoms, and risk-related coping behaviors. Results are generally used to flag elevated symptom burden and to track change over time in conjunction with clinical interview and other assessment data.

The Symptom Checklist of Well-Being is attributed to Ed Diener and Carol D. Ryff.

Author: Carol D. Ryff, Ed Diener

Literature: Cohen, S., Kessler, R. C., & Gordon, L. U. Measuring stress: A guide for health and social scientists. Oxford University Press. 1995.