Catalog/WSAS
Public domainFunctioning / QoL Available now

WSAS

Work and Social Adjustment Scale

The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) is a 5-item functioning / qol assessment for adults. It typically takes about 2 minutes to complete, producing a total score from 0 to 40 where higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

Items

5

Time to complete

2 min

Population

adult

Score range

0–40

About the WSAS

The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) is a 5-item functioning / qol assessment for adults. It typically takes about 2 minutes to complete, producing a total score from 0 to 40 where higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

First published in 2002 by Mundt JC, Marks IM, Shear MK, Greist JH, the WSAS is in the public domain and free to use without permission or fees. With Psyche Assess you can send the WSAS to clients online, score it automatically, and generate a clinician-ready report in seconds.

WSAS questions

Response scale
0 = 0 — Not at all1 = 12 = 23 = 34 = 4 — Definitely5 = 56 = 6 — Markedly7 = 78 = 8 — Very severely, I cannot do anything
  1. 1

    Because of my problems, my ability to work is impaired. (0 = not at all impaired; 8 = very severely impaired)

  2. 2

    Because of my problems, my home management (cleaning, tidying, shopping, cooking, looking after home or children, paying bills) is impaired.

  3. 3

    Because of my problems, my social leisure activities (with other people such as parties, bars, clubs, outings, visits, dating, home entertainment) are impaired.

  4. 4

    Because of my problems, my private leisure activities (done alone, such as reading, gardening, collecting, sewing, walking alone) are impaired.

  5. 5

    Because of my problems, my ability to form and maintain close relationships with others, including those I live with, is impaired.

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

Scoring & interpretation

RangeBandInterpretation
09SubclinicalBelow the clinical impairment threshold.
1020Significant impairmentSignificant but less-severe functional impairment.
2140Severe impairmentModerately severe or worse psychopathology with substantial functional impact.

Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.

Frequently asked questions

How many items does the WSAS have?

The WSAS has 5 items and takes about 2 minutes to complete.

How is the WSAS scored?

Item responses are summed for a total score from 0 to 40, where higher scores indicate greater severity. Totals fall into the interpretive bands shown above.

Is the WSAS free to use?

Yes — the WSAS is in the public domain and free to use, reproduce, and translate.

Who is the WSAS for?

The WSAS is designed for adult and is used by clinicians, researchers, and integrated-care teams.

Source & references

AuthorsMundt JC, Marks IM, Shear MK, Greist JH
First published2002
CitationMundt JC, Marks IM, Shear MK, Greist JH. The Work and Social Adjustment Scale: a simple measure of impairment in functioning. Br J Psychiatry. 2002;180:461-464.
PubMed11983645
LicensePublic domain
Source obtained from https://www.iapt.nhs.uk on 2026-05-16. Every instrument in our catalog has a documented, legitimate source — never scraped from another platform.

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