Assessment Guide | Apr 16, 2026 | 2 minute read

MFQ | Mood and Feelings

Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ)

Recommended Frequency: Every 2-4 weeks
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Summary

The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) is a widely used self-report screening tool designed to assess depressive symptoms in children, adolescents, and young adults. Developed by Adrian Angold and Elizabeth J. Costello, it consists of a series of descriptive statements that reflect how a person has been feeling or behaving over the past two weeks.

The MFQ is validated for children and adolescents aged 6-19, and available in both long (33-item) and short (13-item) formats, as well as parent-report and adult versions. This measure is primarily used for screening and monitoring depression, rather than a standalone diagnostic tool.

About the MFQ

The MFQ was developed in 1987 as part of broader research into childhood depression and has since become a widely used tool for identifying depressive symptoms in young people. The questionnaire includes a set of statements describing emotional and behavioral experiences, which respondents rate based on how true each statement has been for them recently.

Psychometric studies show excellent internal consistency across multiple samples and age ranges, good test–retest reliability over weeks to months in community samples, convergent and concurrent validity with other depression and related measures such as the CDRS-R and RADS-2 (Thabrew et al., 2018).

Similar to other youth depression measures such as the CES-DC, RCADS, or PHQ-9, the MFQ demonstrates high internal consistency, validity, and reliability, and effectively screens for depressive symptoms. The MFQ was specifically designed and validated for children and adolescents, and offers long and short formats, enabling flexibility between brief screenings and more comprehensive assessments.

There are six core versions of the MFQ, including:

Long format children self-report
Short format children self-report
Long format parent-report on child
Short format parent-report on child
Long format adult self-report
Short format adult self-report

Within the Greenspace platform, the MFQ assessment refers to the short format, while the MFQ-L refers to the long format and the MFQ-C refers to the children format. This guide will focus on administering and scoring the short, 13-item format of the adult and child MFQ.

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Who is the MFQ for?

Review the list below to determine if this assessment should be used with your client. If you answer NO to each question, the MFQ is likely a good fit to use with your client.

Is your client under the age of 6?
Is your client exhibiting signs of suicidality or self-harm?

If your client is expressing suicidal thoughts or ideation, refer to measures such as the PHQ-9 to identify and monitor severity of depression or the C-SSRS to screen for the presence of suicidal ideation or behavior.

The MFQ Scale

The short format of the MFQ scale consists of 13 statements describing feelings and behaviors from the past two weeks. The client will select whether each statement was ‘Not True’, ‘Sometimes’, or ‘True’ over the past 14 days.

The MFQ is a self-report questionnaire that can be completed independently by the client, or administered verbally by a clinician for support or accommodation purposes. The short questionnaire typically takes 2-5 minutes to complete.

The client is directed to:

Check ‘Not True’ if a sentence was not true about them,
Check ‘Sometimes’ if a sentence was only sometimes true,
Check ‘True’ if a sentence was true about them most of the time.

	Sometimes	True
1. I felt miserable or unhappy.	1	2
2. I didn’t enjoy anything at all.	1	2
3. I felt so tired I just sat around and did nothing.	1	2
4. I was very restless.	1	2
5. I felt I was no good anymore.	1	2
6. I cried a lot.	1	2
7. I found it hard to think properly or concentrate.	1	2
8. I hated myself.	1	2
9. I was a bad person.	1	2
10. I felt lonely.	1	2
11. I thought nobody really loved me.	1	2
12. I thought I could never be as good as other people.	1	2
13. I did everything wrong.	1	2

When introducing the MFQ to clients, you might say:

“This questionnaire asks about how you’ve been feeling and behaving over the last two weeks. There are no right or wrong answers; it’s just a way for us to better understand your experiences, so we can talk about what’s going on and make sure your care is focused on what matters most to you. Check ‘Not True’ if a sentence is not true about how you’ve been feeling over the past two weeks, check ‘Sometimes’ if a sentence was only sometimes true, and check ‘True’ if a sentence describes how you felt most of the time.”

Scoring the MFQ

Each item on the MFQ is scored based on how true the statement has been over the past two weeks, with ‘Not True’ = 0, ‘Sometimes’ = 1, and ‘True’ = 2. A total score is calculated by adding the values of the responses for all 13 items, and can range from 0-26.

A final score of 12 or higher may indicate signs of depression. As the MFQ is a screening tool, and should not be used as a standalone diagnostic instrument, further screening and monitoring is recommended using measures such as the PHQ-9 to determine severity or the CES-DC to monitor depressive symptoms in children.

Scores below 12 may not indicate depression, although there is no single universal cut-off, and appropriate thresholds may vary depending on the population and setting. The assessment should be used alongside clinical judgement and information provided in sessions to determine when/if further support is needed.

Score	Symptom Severity
0-11	Mild or no depression symptoms
12-26	Some or significant depression symptoms

Rather than a one-time assessment, the MFQ is most effective when used as part of ongoing measurement to identify changes in recent moods and behaviors in clients.

Copyright Information & Disclaimer

Burleson Daviss, W., Birmaher, B., Melhem, N. A., Axelson, D. A., Michaels, S. M., & Brent, D. A. (2006). Criterion validity of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for depressive episodes in clinic and non-clinic subjects. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 47(9), 927–934.
Thabrew, H., Stasiak, K., Bavin, L. M., Frampton, C., & Merry, S. (2018). Validation of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) and Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) in New Zealand help-seeking adolescents. International journal of methods in psychiatric research, 27(3), e1610. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1610
Wood, A., Kroll, L., Moore, A., & Harrington, R. (1995). Properties of the mood and feelings questionnaire in adolescent psychiatric outpatients: a research note. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 36(2), 327–334. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1995.tb01828.x

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of using the MFQ in treatment?

The MFQ provides a structured way to capture a young person’s experience of depressive symptoms over time. It supports early identification, helps track progress, and creates opportunities for more focused, data-informed conversations in session.

How often should the MFQ be administered?

To best monitor and respond to symptom changes, the MFQ is typically completed by clients every 2–4 weeks during treatment, or at key clinical review points (e.g., intake, mid-treatment, discharge).

How can the MFQ be used to monitor symptom change and empower clients?

When used regularly, the MFQ allows both clinicians and clients to see trends over time. Reviewing results together can help clients reflect on their experiences, recognize progress, and feel more engaged in their care.

How should I introduce this measure to my clients?

When introducing the MFQ to clients, frame it as a tool to better understand how they’ve been feeling between sessions. Emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers, and that their responses will help guide conversations and care decisions.

Here is a sample script you can use to introduce the MFQ:

How and when should I respond to changes in MFQ scores?

Changes in scores should prompt reflection and conversation about changes in the client’s mood, feelings, and any triggers or events occurring in their life. Deterioration in symptoms may signal the need for further assessment or intervention, while positive improvement should be met with reinforcement and reflecting on what’s working.

Below are some helpful sample prompts you might use to guide discussions when scores increase or decrease.

When symptoms are deteriorating you might say:

“I noticed your score has increased since the last time. How have things been feeling for you recently?”
“Have there been any recent changes, challenges, or stressful events that might be contributing to this shift?”
“Do you feel like the strategies we’ve been using are helping, or would you like to try something different?”

When symptoms are improving:

“I see your score has gone down since last time—that’s great to see. What do you think has been helping?”
“Have there been any changes in your day—like your routine, where you spend time, or who you’re with—that might be affecting how you feel?”
“Is there anything that still feels challenging, even with this improvement?”

How should I respond to significant or unexpected score changes?

Significant changes should be explored collaboratively. Ask open-ended questions to understand what may be contributing to the shift, and consider any contextual or environmental factors impacting the client.

For example, some sample prompts you can ask your client are:

“I noticed your score increased/decreased quite a bit since last time—can you walk me through what the past week has been like for you?”
“Have there been any changes in your day—like your routine, where you spend time, or who you’re with—that might be affecting how you feel?”
“Is there anything specific within the past 2 weeks that might have contributed to this change?”

What is the most important thing to note when administering the MFQ?

The MFQ is most effective when it is used collaboratively and consistently. It should support clinical conversations, and always be interpreted within the broader context of the client’s experience.

How do I share the purpose of this form with clients, so they understand why they’re filling it out?

It’s important that clients understand the value of this assessment prior to being asked to complete it. Making the process of measurement valuable to clients is the best way to deepen their engagement in treatment and improve therapeutic alliance and clinical outcomes. For inspiration, here is an example of how you might introduce the MFQ to clients:

“Just like you have your blood pressure taken when you go to the doctors, this assessment is the providers way of measuring your mental well-being. The results we get throughout the course of your treatment will be our way of checking in on your progress, so we can better understand what’s working and what might need to change, talk more deeply about your symptoms and experiences and work together to set goals in treatment, so we both know we’re working towards what matters to you.”

Jessica Barber, PhD, explains this process well and shares how she approaches introducing measures to clients in session:

How should I administer the MFQ to clients?

The MFQ can be completed in two ways:

Independently by the client, whether this on their own schedule at home (Greenspace offers automatic delivery for completion on desktop or mobile via text or email) or at the office before session (via tablet, kiosk or pen/paper)
Administered verbally by staff before session or in-session. This can be particularly helpful, and sometimes necessary, when working with clients who have difficulty with reading or comprehension.

Research shows that clients can fill out this assessment successfully on their own and most often require no assistance. However, it’s important to discuss each question before or after completion to ensure you have a shared understanding of what the questions are asking. If you choose to administer the assessment verbally, be sure to ask the question exactly as it is written to ensure their response is accurate and results remain evidence-based.

Why did my client score low on the MFQ even though they appear to be experiencing significant amounts of depression?

There are times when what is shown in your clients data, does not align with what they share in care or with how it seems like they’ve been doing overall. This is the perfect time to dive into each of the items on the measure and ensure that you and your client are speaking the same language and understanding them correctly. Their understanding of the language of the measure will impact how they respond, so it’s important that they have a strong understanding of what the question is asking and that you, as their provider, have a strong understanding of how they interpret the language. By getting curious together, you can begin to better understand what the questions and language mean to them, and how that might impact your understanding of their experience.

With a fulsome understanding, there is still often a discrepancy between what what your client is telling you verbally and what their results are showing, highlighting this outlines a large part of the impact of Measurement-Based Care integrated into treatment processes. This presents the perfect opportunity to dig a bit deeper and focus a part of your session around that specific item to learn more about their experience in care and mental health challenges. Doing so will help build your client-clinician bond and ensure that your clients voice and experiences are at the heart of the care process and treatment decisions.