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Catalog/MFQ-SF
Open licenseDepression Available now

MFQ-SF

Mood and Feelings Questionnaire — Short Form

The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire — Short Form (MFQ-SF) is a 13-item depression assessment for child / adolescent (ages 6–17). It typically takes about 4 minutes to complete, producing a total score from 0 to 26 where higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

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Items

13

Time to complete

4 min

Population

child / adolescent (ages 6–17)

Score range

0–26

About the MFQ-SF

The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire — Short Form (MFQ-SF) is a 13-item depression assessment for child / adolescent (ages 6–17). It typically takes about 4 minutes to complete, producing a total score from 0 to 26 where higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

First published in 1995 by Angold A, Costello EJ, Messer SC, Pickles A, Winder F, Silver D, the MFQ-SF is free to use for clinical and research purposes with attribution. With Psyche Assess you can send the MFQ-SF to clients online, score it automatically, and generate a clinician-ready report in seconds.

MFQ-SF questions

Response scale
0 = Not true1 = Sometimes2 = True
  1. 1

    I felt miserable or unhappy.

  2. 2

    I didn't enjoy anything at all.

  3. 3

    I felt so tired I just sat around and did nothing.

  4. 4

    I was very restless.

  5. 5

    I felt I was no good any more.

  6. 6

    I cried a lot.

  7. 7

    I found it hard to think properly or concentrate.

  8. 8

    I hated myself.

  9. 9

    I felt I was a bad person.

    Risk item
  10. 10

    I felt lonely.

  11. 11

    I thought nobody really loved me.

  12. 12

    I thought I could never be as good as other kids.

  13. 13

    I did everything wrong.

Items reproduced from a documented, freely usable source. Item wording is preserved exactly as published.

Scoring & interpretation

RangeBandInterpretation
0–11Below thresholdBelow the screening cutoff (12).
12–26Positive screenScore ≥12 — possible major depression; further clinical evaluation recommended.

Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

Frequently asked questions

How many items does the MFQ-SF have?

The MFQ-SF has 13 items and takes about 4 minutes to complete.

How is the MFQ-SF scored?

Item responses are summed for a total score from 0 to 26, where higher scores indicate greater severity. Totals fall into the interpretive bands shown above.

Is the MFQ-SF free to use?

The MFQ-SF is free to use for clinical and research purposes provided the authors are credited and the item wording is not altered.

Who is the MFQ-SF for?

The MFQ-SF is designed for child / adolescent (ages 6–17) and is used by clinicians, researchers, and integrated-care teams.

Source & references

AuthorsAngold A, Costello EJ, Messer SC, Pickles A, Winder F, Silver D
First published1995
CitationAngold A, Costello EJ, Messer SC, Pickles A, Winder F, Silver D. The development of a short questionnaire for use in epidemiological studies of depression in children and adolescents. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 1995;5:237-249.
LicenseOpen license
Source obtained from https://devepi.duhs.duke.edu/measures/the-mood-and-feelings-questionnaire-mfq/ on 2026-05-16. Every instrument in our catalog has a documented, legitimate source — never scraped from another platform.

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