Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS)

The SAS, compiled by ZUNG in 1971,²⁰ measures anxiety levels. This scale includes 20 items and uses a 4-point scoring system to measure the frequency of symptoms (1 = no or little time, 2 = a small part of the time, 3 = a considerable amount of time, and 4 = most or all of the time). Of these, 15 items use negative words (eg, I feel more nervous and anxious than usual; I feel afraid for no reason) scored on the 1 to 4 scale. The other five items use positive words (eg, I feel calm and sit still easily; I can breathe in and out easily), scored in reverse. Adding the scores of all items produces the raw score, and multiplying the score by 1.25 produces the standard score. The higher the standard SAS score, the higher the anxiety level (Chinese norm: the standard deviation of SAS is 50 points; 50 to 59 points for mild anxiety; 60 to 69 points for moderate anxiety; and above 69 points for severe anxiety).