Free instruments
Tier 2 measures ask for a reported change. Each instrument below has a form you can link to and a license sentence quoted from its publisher. Check the quote before you rely on it.
- Public domain 4. The publisher or author says no permission is needed.
- Free, with conditions 4. Free to use under stated conditions; read the quoted license before using it.
- Screening only 8. Cleared for screening. It is not built to show change over time.
Cleared instruments, best rights class first 16
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale
Public domainLicense wording
“freely available; permission not required for use.”
The publisher or author says no permission is needed.
Youth; self-esteem
- Scoring
- Score positive statements 3-0 and negative statements 0-3; sum 0-30, higher = greater self-esteem.
- Named by funders
- NIH PhenX catalogue; no grant mandate verified.
- Validity
- Rosenberg, 1989; Gray-Little et al., 1997, item-response analysis.
- Caveat
- EN; Chinese. Measures global self-esteem, not mentoring quality or employment readiness.
Form License source
PHQ-9
Public domainLicense wording
“public domain.”
The publisher or author says no permission is needed.
Depression symptoms
- Scoring
- Sum nine 0-3 responses: 0-27; severity boundaries 5, 10, 15, 20.
- Named by funders
- HRSA 2026 UDS depression-remission measure names PHQ-9.
- Validity
- Kroenke et al., 2001, JGIM 16:606-613; Lowe et al., 2004, responsiveness evidence.
- Caveat
- EN form verified; translations not audited. Two-week recall. Item 9 requires an operational response process if administered. The developer instructions permit reproduction, translation, display and distribution without permission.
Form License source
GAD-7
Public domainLicense wording
“public domain.”
The publisher or author says no permission is needed.
Anxiety symptoms
- Scoring
- Sum 0-21; severity boundaries 5, 10, 15.
- Named by funders
- The HRSA-funded National HIV Curriculum supplies it; this is a training resource, not a universal HRSA mandate.
- Validity
- Spitzer et al., 2006, Archives Internal Medicine 166:1092-1097.
- Caveat
- EN verified. Two-week recall; symptom score is not a diagnosis.
Form License source
PCL-5 (Past Month)
Public domainLicense wording
“This measure was developed by staff at VA's National Center for PTSD and is in the public domain and not copyrighted.”
The publisher or author says no permission is needed.
Trauma symptoms
- Scoring
- Sum 0-80; provisional PTSD 31-33 or cluster rules.
- Named by funders
- VA and many trauma programs (named by the second research file only).
- Validity
- Weathers et al., 2013; Bovin et al., 2016.
- Caveat
- Intended for qualified professionals; Spanish unvalidated. Taken from 2A-grok.md under TRIAGE.md (VA public-domain quote, ptsd.va.gov form).
Form License source
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
Free, with conditionsLicense wording
“Paper copies "without charge by individuals or non-profit organisations," subject to the owner's conditions. Electronic reproduction requires separate authorization; no unauthorized modification.”
Free to use under stated conditions; read the quoted license before using it.
Youth psychosocial functioning
- Scoring
- Five subscales 0-10. Total difficulties = four problem subscales, 0-40; prosocial score stays separate. Apply version-specific reverse coding.
- Named by funders
- No US grant mandate verified.
- Validity
- Goodman, 1997, J Child Psychol Psychiatry 38:581-586; DOI 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01545.x. Original full text unverified.
- Caveat
- EN; many translations. Select the authorized 25-item, one-sided form. Impact supplements and administrative additions can push the administered packet above 30 items. Embedding it in software is a separate, paid-permission case (see the trap list).
Form License source
WHO-5 Well-Being Index
Free, with conditionsLicense wording
“CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.”
Free to use under stated conditions; read the quoted license before using it.
Positive wellbeing
- Scoring
- Sum 0-25, multiply by 4 for 0-100; higher = better wellbeing. Below 50 suggests further assessment.
- Named by funders
- None named in the sources opened.
- Validity
- Topp et al., 2015, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 84:167-176; DOI 10.1159/000376585. WHO republishes the evidence reference.
- Caveat
- EN verified. Attribution, noncommercial use and share-alike conditions apply; adaptations and translations have additional requirements. Use the 2024 rights statement; older descriptions calling it unrestricted public domain are insufficient for the current publication.
Form License source
DASS-21
Free, with conditionsLicense wording
“downloaded and copied without restriction”
Free to use under stated conditions; read the quoted license before using it.
Depression, anxiety, stress
- Scoring
- Three seven-item subscales. Sum each 0-21; multiply each by 2 when applying full-DASS severity conventions.
- Named by funders
- None named in the sources opened.
- Validity
- Antony et al., 1998, Psychological Assessment 10:176-181; Ng et al., 2007, routine-outcome validation.
- Caveat
- EN; translations. One-week recall. The owner also prohibits modification and sale for profit. The paid manual does not make the questionnaire license paid. Do not invent a single diagnostic total.
Form License source
Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS)
Free, with conditionsLicense wording
“free to use without permission or charge by researchers”
Free to use under stated conditions; read the quoted license before using it.
Life satisfaction
- Scoring
- Sum five 1-7 ratings: 5-35, higher = greater satisfaction.
- Named by funders
- None named in the sources opened.
- Validity
- Diener et al., 1985, J Personality Assessment 49:71-75; Pavot et al., 1991.
- Caveat
- EN; extensive translations. The current owner page specifies "non-commercial purposes only" and asks users to credit the authors; keep that wording in your rights metadata.
Form License source
PHQ-2
Screening onlyLicense wording
“public domain.”
Cleared for screening. It is not built to show change over time.
Depression screening
- Scoring
- Sum 0-6; 3 or more commonly triggers further assessment.
- Named by funders
- No specific grant requirement verified.
- Validity
- Kroenke et al., 2003, Medical Care 41:1284-1292.
- Caveat
- EN verified. Efficient screening; limited precision for tracking small changes.
Form License source
PHQ-4
Screening onlyLicense wording
“public domain.”
Cleared for screening. It is not built to show change over time.
Depression/anxiety screening
- Scoring
- Total 0-12; bands 0-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12. Depression and anxiety two-item subscores each 0-6.
- Named by funders
- None named in the sources opened.
- Validity
- Kroenke et al., 2009, Psychosomatics 50:613-621.
- Caveat
- EN verified. PHQ-2 plus GAD-2; do not count all three as independent instrument families.
Form License source
GAD-2
Screening onlyLicense wording
“public domain.”
Cleared for screening. It is not built to show change over time.
Anxiety screening
- Scoring
- Sum 0-6; 3 or more commonly prompts fuller assessment.
- Named by funders
- None named in the sources opened.
- Validity
- Kroenke et al., 2007, Annals Internal Medicine 146:317-325.
- Caveat
- EN verified. This is an established two-item instrument, not an arbitrary truncation. The form is the PHQ-4: its first two questions are GAD-2.
Form License source
Kessler K6
Screening onlyLicense wording
“free and does not require any formal permission or approval”
Cleared for screening. It is not built to show change over time.
Nonspecific psychological distress
- Scoring
- US coding 0-4, sum 0-24; higher = greater distress. Optional persistence/impairment questions are not part of the score.
- Named by funders
- NCHS/NHIS; the author also names the historical National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Survey use is not a grant requirement.
- Validity
- Kessler et al., 2002, Psychological Medicine 32:959-976; 2003, Archives General Psychiatry 60:184-189.
- Caveat
- EN; Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and others. The author asks users to retain copyright and citation. Do not mix US 0-24 coding with alternative 6-30 coding.
Form License source
Kessler K10
Screening onlyLicense wording
“free and does not require any formal permission or approval”
Cleared for screening. It is not built to show change over time.
Nonspecific psychological distress
- Scoring
- US coding 0-4, sum 0-40, higher = greater distress.
- Named by funders
- US NCS-R research program; no frontline grant mandate verified.
- Validity
- Kessler et al., 2002/2003; Furukawa et al., 2003.
- Caveat
- EN; Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin and others. The author asks users to retain copyright and citation. Alternative 10-50 scoring is a different coding convention.
Form License source
Geriatric Depression Scale, GDS-15
Screening onlyLicense wording
“The original scale is in the public domain.”
Cleared for screening. It is not built to show change over time.
Older-adult depressive symptoms
- Scoring
- One point for each depression-keyed response; 0-15, higher = more symptoms.
- Named by funders
- No US grant mandate verified.
- Validity
- Sheikh & Yesavage, 1986; validity references and administration guidance on the HIGN sheet.
- Caveat
- EN; numerous translations. The instrument is public domain; the surrounding HIGN teaching sheet has its own publication rights.
Form License source
Geriatric Depression Scale, GDS-30
Screening onlyLicense wording
“The original scale is in the public domain.”
Cleared for screening. It is not built to show change over time.
Older-adult depressive symptoms
- Scoring
- Depression-keyed yes/no responses, sum 0-30.
- Named by funders
- None named in the sources opened.
- Validity
- Yesavage et al., 1983, J Psychiatric Research 17:37-49.
- Caveat
- EN; translations. Exactly at the 30-item ceiling. Cognitive impairment can affect suitability.
Form License source
PC-PTSD-5
Screening onlyLicense wording
“This measure was developed by staff at VA's National Center for PTSD and is in the public domain and not copyrighted.”
Cleared for screening. It is not built to show change over time.
Trauma screening
- Scoring
- 3 or more is a positive screen.
- Named by funders
- VA primary care (named by the second research file only).
- Validity
- Prins et al., 2015/2016.
- Caveat
- Screen only; follow with the PCL-5. Spanish unvalidated. Taken from 2A-grok.md under TRIAGE.md.
Form License source
Looks free, is not 15
Each of these circulates widely and carries a licensing restriction. The wording is quoted from the publisher's page.
- Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, CSQ-8. Use requires "express written permission" and "remission of use fees." Applies to service and research use. It also measures satisfaction, not outcome change. Licensing page
- Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, MMAS-8 / MMAS-4. Owner license pricing posts fees of $7 per MMAS-8 administration and $4 per MMAS-4 administration, with other licensing arrangements. Licensing page
- Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, CD-RISC. The author's request form refers to "terms of use and payment details"; PhenX confirms a licensing agreement is required. Current owner-site pricing is unverified because those sites did not open. Licensing page
- Outcome Rating Scale, ORS. Agency and group paper licenses carry fees; electronic or digital use is excluded from that license. Not universally paid, but not blanket-free for a nonprofit agency. Licensing page
- Session Rating Scale, SRS. Same agency-fee and electronic-use restrictions as the ORS. It also measures therapeutic alliance rather than participant outcomes. Licensing page
- SDQ embedded in your digital product. Electronic reproduction requires authorization and may involve payment. This does not invalidate the conditional paper-use entry in the instrument list. Licensing page
- PRAPARE embedded in a platform. Developer agreements are listed at $5,000 per year (regular) or $10,000 per year (enterprise). Royalty-free end-user agreements are a separate category. These are the published 2024 terms, not a verified 2026 quotation. Licensing page
- North Carolina Family Assessment Scale, General Services (NCFAS-G). The license is issued to the purchasing agency, and cost depends on the number of workers using it. Viewing a sample is not permission to administer. Licensing page
- Parenting Stress Index, 4th ed., Short Form (PSI-4-SF). The publisher's purchase page lists paid materials. Its 36 items also exceed the 30-item length limit. Licensing page
- BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS). The publisher page lists paid forms and digital administrations and Qualification Level B. Short administration and simple completion do not make it public domain. Licensing page
- Drug Abuse Screening Test, DAST-10. The instrument is under copyright: "Copyright 1982 by Harvey A. Skinner, PhD, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada." The PhenX page allows reproduction "for non-commercial use (clinical, research, training purposes)" with credit to the author, and says it "may be obtained through" CAMH. Conditional, not unrestricted; CAMH's own terms were not opened. Licensing page
- Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory. The publisher sells it: the Pearson page lists the BDI-2 Complete Kit (Print) at $195.70, with items from $3.90, and shows Qualification level B. Licensing page
- Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). PAR publishes it and the site states "All rights reserved." A modified version requires a permission request to PAR. Licensing page
- Outcomes Star (family of Stars). The site refers to licence holders and states "all Outcomes Star licence holders must complete our core training programme." A licence is required; the page opened does not state fees. Licensing page
- PROMIS short forms embedded in an electronic platform. The PROMIS terms state "Permission to use PROMIS INSTRUMENTS does NOT grant permission to modify the wording or layout of items," or "to distribute to others for a fee, or to translate items into any other language." The need for HealthMeasures Electronic Administration Permission (HEAP) when embedding in a platform comes from secondary sources and was not found in the terms page. Licensing page