Description

The How I Feel Questionnaire (HIF) is a self-report psychometric instrument designed to assess individuals’ emotional states by measuring the frequency and intensity of a wide range of positive and negative emotions experienced over a specific period or in particular situations.

Emotional functioning is a fundamental component of psychological well-being and mental health, influencing cognitive processes, decision-making, interpersonal relationships, stress management, and overall quality of life. The HIF provides researchers and clinicians with a standardized method for evaluating emotional experiences across diverse populations and settings.

The questionnaire is widely used in clinical psychology, developmental psychology, educational research, health psychology, and positive psychology to examine emotional functioning, identify emotional difficulties, and monitor psychological changes over time or following therapeutic interventions.

The instrument evaluates both positive emotions, such as happiness, enthusiasm, calmness, and optimism, and negative emotions, including sadness, anxiety, anger, fear, and emotional distress, providing a comprehensive profile of an individual’s emotional well-being.

Questionnaire Structure

The How I Feel Questionnaire consists of a series of self-report statements describing different emotional experiences. Participants indicate how frequently or intensely they experience each emotion using a Likert-type response scale.

The questionnaire typically evaluates two primary emotional dimensions:

Positive Affect

This dimension measures the extent to which individuals experience positive emotional states, including:

  • happiness,
  • enthusiasm,
  • optimism,
  • calmness,
  • energy,
  • life satisfaction,
  • emotional well-being.

Higher scores indicate greater positive emotional functioning and psychological well-being.

Negative Affect

This dimension assesses the frequency or intensity of unpleasant emotional experiences, including:

  • sadness,
  • anxiety,
  • anger,
  • fear,
  • frustration,
  • emotional distress,
  • psychological discomfort.

Higher scores on this dimension indicate greater emotional distress or negative emotional experiences.

Together, these dimensions provide a comprehensive assessment of an individual’s emotional profile and overall psychological functioning.

Data Analysis and Applications

Data obtained from the How I Feel Questionnaire are analyzed by calculating separate scores for positive and negative affect, and, where appropriate, an overall emotional functioning index.

The HIF is widely used in:

  • clinical psychological assessment,
  • counseling and psychotherapy,
  • developmental and educational psychology,
  • health psychology,
  • positive psychology research,
  • quality-of-life studies,
  • intervention outcome evaluation,
  • mental health screening.

Researchers frequently investigate associations between HIF scores and variables such as:

  • anxiety,
  • depression,
  • stress,
  • resilience,
  • coping strategies,
  • self-esteem,
  • life satisfaction,
  • psychological well-being,
  • social adjustment.

Psychometric evaluation of the instrument typically includes internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), test–retest reliability, construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to verify the underlying emotional dimensions.

Objective

The primary objective of the How I Feel Questionnaire is to provide a reliable and standardized assessment of individuals’ emotional functioning and psychological well-being.

More specifically, the HIF aims to:

  • assess positive and negative emotional experiences,
  • evaluate emotional well-being,
  • investigate relationships between emotions and mental health,
  • identify emotional difficulties in clinical and non-clinical populations,
  • evaluate the effectiveness of psychological, educational, and psychosocial interventions,
  • support research on emotional development, psychological adjustment, and quality of life.

Scoring

The How I Feel Questionnaire is typically scored using a Likert-type rating scale, with respondents indicating the frequency or intensity of each emotional experience. Depending on the version of the instrument, the response format may consist of 4-point, 5-point, or 7-point Likert scales.

Individual item scores are summed to calculate separate scores for Positive Affect and Negative Affect, while some versions also generate an overall emotional functioning score.

Higher scores on each subscale indicate greater frequency or intensity of the corresponding emotional experiences. Interpretation of the results should always follow the scoring guidelines provided in the official administration manual for the specific version of the questionnaire.

Psychometric Properties

The How I Feel Questionnaire demonstrates satisfactory to excellent psychometric properties across diverse age groups and cultural settings. Validation studies have reported good internal consistency, strong test–retest reliability, robust construct validity, and meaningful associations with established measures of emotional functioning, anxiety, depression, psychological well-being, resilience, and quality of life. These characteristics make the HIF a valuable instrument for both clinical assessment and scientific research in psychology, education, and health sciences.

References

Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063–1070.

Russell, J. A. (1980). A circumplex model of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(6), 1161–1178.

Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75.