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Breakup Distress Scale

How well are you handling your breakup? Take this test to find out.

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

May 20, 2024

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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Breakups tend to be emotionally draining and stressful. The feelings can be exacerbated by rough dissolution, lack of closure or unresolved emotions. The Breakup Distress Scale is a tool designed to measure the emotional and psychological distress individuals experience after a romantic relationship ends.

This scale consists of 16 statements that provide insights into the emotional state of an individual post-breakup. The scale assesses various aspects of breakup-related distress, including feelings of sadness, loss, confusion and difficulty moving on. It helps quantify the intensity of negative emotions and the overall impact of the breakup on an individual's mental health and daily functioning.

You can take this test here. Please follow all of the steps to receive your results.

References: Field, T., Diego, M., Pelaez, M., Deeds, O., & Delgado, J. (2011). Breakup distress in university students: A review. College Student Journal, 45(3), 461–480.

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. I think about this person so much that it's hard for me to do things I normally do.

2. Memories of the person upset me.

3. I feel I cannot accept the breakup I've experienced.

4. I feel drawn to places and things associated with the person.

5. I can't help feeling angry about the breakup.

6. I feel disbelief over what happened.

7. I feel stunned or dazed over what happened.

8. Ever since the breakup, it is hard for me to trust other people.

9. Ever since the breakup, I feel like I have lost the ability to care about other people or I feel distant from people I care about.

10. I have been experiencing pain since the breakup.

11. I go out of my way to avoid reminders of the person.

12. I feel that life is empty without the person.

13. I feel bitter over this breakup.

14. I feel envious of others who have not experienced a breakup like this.

15. I feel lonely a great deal of the time since the breakup.

16. I feel like crying when I think about the person.

0 of 0 questions answered

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.