Profile of Mood States (POMS)

Abstract

Description: Since its release in 1971, the POMS assessment has proven itself to be an excellent measure of affective mood state fluctuation in a wide variety of populations including psychiatric outpatients, medical patients, and in sports psychology. The POMS identifies and assesses transient, fluctuating affective mood states. The POMS Standard & Brief measure six identifiable mood or affective states: 1) Tension-Anxiety 2) Vigour-Activity 3) Depression-Dejection 4) Fatigue-Inertia 5) Anger-Hostility 6) Confusion-Bewilderment. The POMS can be re-administered on a weekly basis, which is long enough to detect the respondent’s mood responses to his or her current life situation, but short enough to assess acute treatment effects. However, different waiting periods may be more appropriate for certain research studies. Consequently, the POMS items may be interpreted as referring to last week, last month or last year.