Clinician or parent? Hand your device over with the score hidden, or send the test to their phone.
22 questions · about 5–8 minutes
For each one, pick the answer that fits you best over the past seven days. There are no right or wrong answers.
Think of one specific stressful event, and rate how distressing each difficulty has been because of it.
Your answers stay on this device. Nothing is saved or sent unless you choose to email the results. This screening tool is for educational purposes only and does not diagnose PTSD or any trauma-related disorder. If you are in crisis, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
- Questions
- 22
- Time
- 5–8 min
- Looks back over
- The past seven days
- Score range
- 0–88
- Cost
- Free
What the Trauma Impact measures
- Intrusion: Unwanted thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, emotional reactivity to reminders
- Avoidance: Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, situations, and emotional numbing
- Hyperarousal: Irritability, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, sleep disturbances
About the Trauma Impact
The IES-R was developed by Daniel S. Weiss and Charles R. Marmar (1997) as a revision of the original Impact of Event Scale (IES) created by Mardi Horowitz in 1979. The revision added a hyperarousal subscale to align with the three-cluster model of PTSD in the DSM.
The IES-R is one of the most widely used self-report measures for post-traumatic stress and has been translated into over 20 languages. It is not a diagnostic instrument but provides a reliable estimate of post-traumatic distress that can guide clinical decision-making.
When completing this assessment, think about a specific stressful life event and rate how distressing each item has been for you during the past seven days.
How the Trauma Impact is scored
- Every question is answered on the same scale, from "Not at all" (0 points) to "Extremely" (4 points).
- The answers are added together for a total from 0 to 88.
- For example, answering "A little bit" to all 22 questions gives 1 × 22 = 22, which falls in the Low Distress range.
Trauma Impact score ranges
The ranges this quiz uses to label a score. They describe where a score falls, not a diagnosis.
| Result | Score |
|---|---|
| Low Distress | 0–23 |
| Moderate Distress | 24–32 |
| High Distress | 33–36 |
| Severe Distress | 37–88 |
How to read the results
- It is a snapshot, not a diagnosis. The score describes the past seven days, and a label only says where that falls compared with the people the questionnaire was tested on. A word like "mild" does not mean a mild disorder.
- Look at the answers, not only the total. Which questions scored highest often says more about what to work on than the number does.
- Compare with yourself over time. Taking it again in a few weeks, or after starting therapy, shows whether things are moving. Compare each score with your own earlier one, not with someone else's.
- Talk it through. A clinician will ask what no questionnaire can: how long it has been like this, what else is going on, and how much it gets in the way.
The Trauma Impact compared with similar tests
| Test | Screens for | Questions | Looks back over |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCL-5 | PTSD symptoms, by DSM-5 cluster | 20 | The past month |
| Trauma Impact (this page) | Distress after a specific event | 22 | The past seven days |
| DID Screening | Dissociation | 28 | No set period |
Using the Trauma Impact with clients
- Baseline, then repeat. Give it at intake, then at regular intervals, and compare each score with the client's own earlier ones to see whether treatment is working.
- Hand to client. Give it on your own device in session. The questions fill the screen with nothing else on it, and the scores stay hidden until you take the device back and press Show results.
- Send to someone. Send a link before the session by text or email. Tick "Ask for a copy of their results" and their results page offers to email you their score. They decide whether to send it. Your address travels in the link itself and never reaches our servers.
- Copy summary and Print. The results screen copies a one-line summary for the session note, or prints the results on their own.
- Nothing is stored. Answers stay in the browser. Results leave it only when someone chooses to email them, and that email is not kept.
- Billing. Giving and scoring a standardized instrument like the Trauma Impact is commonly billed as CPT 96127, one unit per instrument. Payers set their own limits, so check before relying on it.
Diagnosis codes often documented for this concern
For reference only. A screening score is not a diagnosis, and none of these follows from a score on its own.
- F43.10 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- F43.11 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Acute
- F43.12 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Chronic
- F43.0 Acute Stress Disorder
- F43.20 Adjustment Disorder, Unspecified
- F43.23 Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Mood
- F43.25 Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Disturbance of Emotions and Conduct
Where to go from here
- Trauma Therapy at Crown Counseling · in Brooklyn and online across New York
- Free EMDR bilateral stimulation tools · for calming between sessions, or for therapists to run remotely
- Free resources for therapists
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the IES-R?+
The Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) is a 22-item self-report measure of post-traumatic distress. It assesses three clusters of PTSD symptoms: intrusion (unwanted re-experiencing), avoidance (emotional numbing and avoidance of reminders), and hyperarousal (heightened alertness and reactivity).
Does a high score mean I have PTSD?+
No. The IES-R measures subjective distress related to a specific event. While high scores suggest symptoms consistent with PTSD, only a qualified clinician can make a formal diagnosis through comprehensive clinical evaluation.
What kind of events can this be used for?+
The IES-R can be used for any distressing life event including accidents, natural disasters, assault, loss of a loved one, medical trauma, childhood abuse, witnessing violence, or any event that has caused significant emotional distress.
What is the clinical cutoff score?+
A mean item score of 1.5 (total score of 33) is commonly used as the clinical cutoff suggesting probable PTSD. However, optimal cutoffs can vary depending on the population and context.
Are my responses stored?+
No. All responses remain completely private and local to your browser. No data is collected, stored, or transmitted to any server.
References
- Weiss DS, Marmar CR. The Impact of Event Scale – Revised. In: Wilson JP, Keane TM, eds. Assessing Psychological Trauma and PTSD. Guilford Press; 1997:399-411.
- Creamer M, Bell R, Failla S. Psychometric properties of the Impact of Event Scale – Revised. Behav Res Ther. 2003;41(12):1489-1496.
- Beck JG, Grant DM, Read JP, et al. The Impact of Event Scale – Revised: Psychometric properties in a sample of motor vehicle accident survivors. J Anxiety Disord. 2008;22(2):187-198.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). 2013.