Scale Overview & Construct
8-item scale consisting of the straightforward (non-reverse-worded) items from the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Measures fear and worry about receiving negative evaluation from others. Has superior psychometric properties compared to the full 12-item BFNE.
Purpose & Measurement Objectives
Instrument Specifications
Scientific Documentation & Psychometric Rigor
Internal Consistency & Reliability
Published studies report high internal consistency for the straightforward-item version.
Construct & Criterion Validity
Correlates strongly with social anxiety measures; the straightforward wording was shown to have cleaner factor structure than the original mixed-valence item set.
Academic Citations
Rodebaugh, T. L., Woods, C. M., Thissen, D. M., Heimberg, R. G., Chambless, D. L., & Rapee, R. M. (2004). More information from fewer questions: the factor structure and item properties of the original and Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Psychological Assessment, 16(2), 169-181.
Academic Citation & Instrument Provenance
When referencing this instrument in research, academic theses, or clinical institutional audits, please cite the original author publication:
Governance, Boundaries & Ethical Use
Imported from the OpenScales open item-bank project. This specific digital implementation has not been independently clinically validated by PsiQ — scores are for self-reflection, research, and educational purposes only, and are not a diagnosis.
License: CC BY 2.0 (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2714515/). Citation: Leary, M. R. (1983). A brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 9(3), 371-375. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167283093007 This is not a diagnostic tool. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, please contact a licensed mental health professional or a crisis helpline in your country immediately. Low/Moderate/High bands below reflect this test's own possible score range only (simple thirds) — they are NOT a clinical threshold or population norm. No such cutoff has been published for this instrument.