A little perspective for a lot of work pressure. You are in the right place.
jobstresscheck. Explore assessments

Assessments

WSAS validity and reliability: what the research shows and what it does not

The original study of over 500 patients found acceptable reliability and a clear link to severity, and later work in other groups has found similar internal consistency. [2][3] Test-retest evidence is limited, and the score bands come from patients with depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder. [2][3]

What did the original study find?

Mundt and colleagues studied two treatment trials: about 380 patients with depression at baseline and 197 with obsessive-compulsive disorder at screening. Internal consistency, as Cronbach's alpha, was reported as 0.70 to 0.94 in the abstract. Test-retest correlation was 0.73 over about two weeks with no treatment in between, and the scale correlated 0.76 with a depression severity rating and 0.61 with an obsessive-compulsive severity rating. Scores tracked differences in severity and treatment-related change. [2]

What has later research found?

NovoPsych cites alpha of .82 in a primary-care therapy sample of 4,835 people and in another sample of 1,157, with test-retest correlations in smaller studies ranging from .73 to .99 over one to three weeks. It notes there are no test-retest data for large UK primary-care or psychiatric outpatient samples. [3] Test-retest evidence is therefore limited and varies between studies.

What do the score bands rest on?

Mundt and colleagues' bands rest on two clinical samples, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the authors said it remained to be tested in other disorders. [2] The alternative bands cited by NovoPsych were validated in clinical research too. [3] Neither set was developed for working populations or for stress and burnout, so they should not be treated as thresholds for work stress.

What does the evidence not establish?

That a score predicts what will happen to you, that it can identify a condition, or that an online version behaves like the research one. It also does not tell you why impairment is present. Impairment can have many causes, and the scale is built to be neutral about them. [3]

What should I check before trusting an online WSAS score?

Check these things before you trust an online WSAS score:

  • Does it tell you to name one problem and keep it in mind?
  • Does it explain the work item and the not-working option?
  • Does it label any bands as tentative and not diagnostic?
  • Does it say what to do next, and when to see a doctor?
  • Does it say how it treats your data?

Sources and further reading

These links open external research and health-information websites.

  1. LuriaLab: Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) test page
    Five areas of functioning, age 18+, about 1 minute, and disclaimers. Response options and scoring are not described on the page. Read on 24 October 2026.
  2. Mundt, Marks, Shear, and Greist (2002): The Work and Social Adjustment Scale: a simple measure of impairment in functioning. British Journal of Psychiatry, 180(5), 461-464
    The original paper: five items, 0 to 8, over 500 patients in two treatment studies (depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder), reliability, validity, and the tentative score bands.
  3. NovoPsych: Work and Social Adjustment Scale
    A commercial publisher's summary of items, scoring, alternative bands, percentile context, reliability figures, and populations. Read on 24 October 2026.

This page is educational. A questionnaire score cannot establish a diagnosis or explain the cause of your symptoms. If you are struggling, speak with a doctor or mental health professional, whatever your score. Read when to get help for work stress or find a helpline in your country.