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The most widely used self-report measure of anxiety

Charles D. Spielberger

STAI for Children * About the STAI *

The STAI Form Y is the definitive instrument for measuring anxiety in adults. It clearly differentiates between the temporary condition of “state anxiety” and the more general and long-standing quality of “trait anxiety”. It helps professionals distinguish between a client’s feelings of anxiety and depression. The inventory’s simplicity makes it ideal for evaluating individuals with lower educational backgrounds. Adapted in more than forty languages, the STAI is the leading measure of personal anxiety worldwide. The STAI has forty questions with a range of four possible responses to each. Note that the STAI Form X (the previous form) is available from Mind Garden if needed.

• Determines anxiety in a specific situation and as a general trait
• Two twenty-item scales
• For individual or group administration
• Provides norms for clinical patients, high school and college students, and working adults
• Efficiently scored
• Can be completed in about ten minutes
• Sixth grade reading level

Translations of this instrument are available. Click here to see a complete list of translations, along with more details on our translation policy.

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About the STAI

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI) is the definitive instrument for measuring anxiety in adults. The STAI clearly differentiates between the temporary condition of "state anxiety" and the more general and long-standing quality of "trait anxiety." The essential qualities evaluated by the STAIS-Anxiety scale are feelings of apprehension, tension, nervousness, and worry. Scores on the STAIS-Anxiety scale increase in response to physical danger and psychological stress, and decrease as a result of relaxation training. On the STAIT-Anxiety scale, consistent with the trait anxiety construct, psychoneurotic and depressed patients generally have high scores.

Contents of Manual

• Procedures for administering and scoring the scales
• Normative data and the N's of these populations with percentile tables
• Empirical support for the scales
• Psychometric data of the scales
• Correlations with other tests
• References

Uses

• Psychological and health research
• Clinical diagnosis
• Differentiating anxiety from depression
• Assessment of clinical anxiety in medical, surgical, psychosomatic, and psychiatric patients

STAI State Anxiety

• Evaluates how respondents felt at a particular time in the recent past and how they anticipate they will feel either in a specific situation that is likely to be encountered in the future or in a variety of hypothetical situations.
• Is found to be a sensitive indicator of changes in transitory anxiety experienced by clients and patients in counseling, psychotherapy, and behavior-modification programs.
• Assesses the level induced by stressful experimental procedures and by unavoidable real-life stressors such as imminent surgery, dental treatment, job interviews, or important school tests.
• For screening high school and college students and military recruits for anxiety problems, and for evaluating the immediate and long-term outcome of psychotherapy, counseling, behavior modification, and drug-treatment programs.
• Proven useful for identifying persons with high levels of neurotic anxiety and for selecting subjects for psychological experiments who differ in motivation or drive level.

Norm Groups

High School, College, 19-39 years old, 40-49 years old, 50-69 years old

Norm Tables

Working Adults, College Students, High School Students, Military Recruits

Inventory Booklet

Individuals respond to each item on a four-point Likert scale, indicating the frequency with which each strategy is used.

Example

The S-Anxiety scale consists of twenty statements that evaluate how respondents feel "right now, at this moment."

1	2	3	4
Not At All	Somewhat	Moderately So	Very Much So

A.	I feel at ease	1	2	3	4
B.	I feel upset	1	2	3	4

 

The T-Anxiety scale consists of twenty statements that assess how respondents feel "generally."

1	2	3	4
Almost Never	Sometimes	Often	Almost Always

A.	I am a steady person	1	2	3	4
B.	I lack self-confidence	1	2	3	4

 

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FROM THE STAI

"State and trait anxiety are analogous in certain respects to kinetic and potential energy. S-Anxiety, like kinetic energy, refers to a palpable reaction or process taking place at a given time and level of intensity. T-Anxiety, like potential energy, refers to individual differences in reactions.

Potential energy refers to differences in the amount of kinetic energy associated with a particular physical object, which may be released if triggered by an appropriate force. Trait Anxiety implies differences between people in the disposition to respond to stressful situations with varying amounts of S-Anxiety. But whether or not people who differ in T-Anxiety will show corresponding differences in S-Anxiety depends on the extent to which each of them perceives a specific situation as psychologically dangerous or threatening, and this is greatly influenced by each individual’s past experience."

--Charles D. Spielberger, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Manual

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REFERENCES

About Charles Spielberger, Professor Emeritus and Director of the Center for Research in Behavioral Medicine and Health Psychology, University of South Florida

 

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