Emotional State Questionnaire (EST-Q)
A self-report screening instrument designed to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, agoraphobia-panic, fatigue, and insomnia.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Emotional State Questionnaire (EST-Q) was developed by Aluoja A., Shlik J., Vasar V., Luuk K., Leinsalu M. (1999). It is designed to measure Depression and Anxiety Disorders. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 31 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Depression, Agoraphobia-Panic, Anxiety, Fatigue, Insomnia.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Depression | 1,3,5,6,7,16,17,18 | 8 |
| Agoraphobia-Panic | 25,27,28,29,30 | 5 |
| Anxiety | 2,20,22,23,24,26 | 6 |
| Fatigue | 4,8,9,19,21 | 5 |
| Insomnia | 10,11,12 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Not at all, 1 = Seldom, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Often, 4 = All the time.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 124. Interpretation guidelines:
- Normal range: 0 – 11
- Clinically significant emotional distress: 12 – 124
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Total EST-Q alpha: 0.88, Depression: 0.87, Anxiety: 0.69, Agoraphobia-Panic: 0.82, Fatigue: 0.77, Insomnia: 0.76.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.