Introduction
GAD-7 brings together seven experiences related to anxiety, including persistent worry, difficulty relaxing, restlessness and irritability. Its two-week time frame makes it useful for organising a picture of recent symptoms rather than describing your entire personality.
The original study examined adults in primary care and compared questionnaire responses with independent professional interviews. A useful distinction when choosing a tool is the focus of the worry: GAD-7 covers general anxiety, while SPIN concentrates on social situations and the Health Anxiety Inventory on concerns about illness.
Two people with similar answers may be dealing with very different circumstances. Examples of disrupted sleep, avoided activities or difficulty concentrating can help explain how the symptoms affect daily life. If you compare questionnaires completed at different times, keep the dates and circumstances alongside the scores.
Instructions
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?
Scoring and result metrics
The result page reports a local screening score for this questionnaire. Use the score range, any subscale scores, and the interpretation band together rather than treating one number as a diagnosis.
- Score range
- 0-21
- Items scored
- 7
- Result indicators
- Total score / Interpretation band when available
Score interpretation bands
- 0-5Little or no anxiety
Scores in the 0-5 range are indicative of little or no anxiety levels.
- 6-10Mild anxiety
Scores in the 6-10 range are indicative of mild anxiety levels.
- 11-15Moderate anxiety
Scores in the 11-15 range are indicative of moderate anxiety levels.
- 16-21Severe anxiety
Scores in the 16-21 range are indicative of severe anxiety levels.
Interpretation bands summarize screening thresholds from the questionnaire source material. Higher scores usually indicate more of the measured concern unless the tool notes a different scoring rule.
Tool information
- Version
- 7 questions
- Administration
- Self-report
- Intended audience
- Adults and older adolescents reviewing anxiety symptoms experienced during the past two weeks
Sources
Related tests
Explore related screening tools in the same topic area.
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
The Edinburgh scale asks about emotional experiences around the postnatal period, including enjoyment, self-blame, worry, sadness and feeling overwhelmed.
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
The Geriatric Depression Scale explores mood and engagement with life in older adults.
Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)
HAM-A is a clinician-rated framework for describing anxiety through psychological and physical symptoms.