Profile of Mood States Second Edition

Digital Administration

The POMS-2 is currently available for clinical use via our partners at MultiHealth Systems (MHS). The POMS can be purchased via MHS and administered and scored on the MHS Assessment Center platform. Learn more

Research Licensing

For those who wish to license the POMS-2 for their research project, please complete the appropriate online request form linked below.

• For academic (non-clinical trial) research complete this form.
• For pharmaceutical and other sponsored clinical trial studies see our Pharma Research Services section or submit an inquiry.

Overview

The Profile of Mood States Second Edition (POMS 2) instruments assess the mood states of individuals 13 years of age and older. A revision of the Profile of Mood States®, the self-report scales are a collection of tools that allow for the quick assessment of transient, fluctuating feelings and enduring affect states. This tool is applicable in clinical, medical, research, and athletic settings, where its sensitivity to change makes the assessment ideal for treatment monitoring and evaluation, as well as clinical trials.

Key Features

• Established clinical and research utility
• Large normative samples representative of the U.S. population
• Updated adult norms that include norm groups for 18–29, 30–49, and 50+, as well as the option of a 60+ norm group
• A new youth version for individuals 13–17 years old
• Full-length and short versions available to suit varying assessor needs
• Easy administration, scoring, and interpretation of results

Key Areas Measured

Reports

Assessment Reports provide detailed information about scores from a single administration, presented both numerically and graphically. An individual's scores are compared to those in the normative sample and elevations at the scale and subscale level are indicated.

Progress Reports compare the results of two to four administrations for the same individual to measure changes over time. These reports are ideal to use when monitoring treatment and intervention effectiveness.

The Tests

The POMS 2 covers two age ranges: adults 18 and older (POMS 2-A) and adolescents 13 to 17 years of age (POMS 2-Y). Both POMS 2 instruments are available as full-length and short versions and are administered online.

POMS 2 Full-Length Versions

The POMS 2–A is comprised of 65 items, while the POMS 2–Y is comprised of 60. These full-length versions yield several scale scores: Anger-Hostility, Confusion-Bewilderment, Depression-Dejection, Fatigue-Inertia, Tension-Anxiety, and Vigor-Activity. Total Mood Disturbance is a function of these six scale scores. The Friendliness scale is scored separately. These comprehensive versions are recommended for use when a thorough evaluation of mood is desired.

POMS 2 Short Versions

The POMS 2 short versions contain a subset of 35 items from the full-length versions. This subset comprises those five items on each of the POMS 2–A and POMS 2–Y scales that exhibited good item-total correlations and best predicted their respective scale scores. Short versions provide an efficient means for determining the need for additional assessment or services. These versions are useful when cursory evaluations or multiple administrations are required for monitoring and evaluating treatment/intervention programs.

Normative Data

With an equal number of male and female individuals in each age band, the normative sample for the POMS 2–A and the POMS 2–A Short includes 1,000 self-reports and is representative of the general U.S. population in terms of ethnicity/race and parental education level.

The normative data sample for the POMS 2-Y and the POMS 2-Y Short includes 500 self-report raters aged 13 to 17 years, with an equal number of female and male individuals from each age. It is representative of the general U.S. population in terms of ethnicity/race and parental education level.