Focus area: Wellbeing & Depression

Overview: The Adolescent Wellbeing Scale (AWS) is derived from the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children and assesses both depressive symptoms and general wellbeing in children and adolescents. It provides an overall snapshot of youth functioning that can be used to inform treatment planning and overall case conceptualization. 

Total number of items: Eighteen 

Administration: Self-report

Standardized cadence: Weekly

Estimated completion time: Five minutes

Supported subscales: None

Age range: 11 – 17 years old 

Scoring and interpretation: A score of 13 or greater on the AWS has been associated with increased risk for a depressive disorder. 

Reliability/Validity: The AWS has shown good reliability, with a test-retest reliability > 0.8 and an internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) ranging from 0.73 to 0.90. 

Additional information: In most instances the way a young person responds to the different questions will be as important and as valuable as any score, because they can give an insight into particular needs or experiences. In this way, the use of the AWS as a conversation-starter is of great value.