Infidelity PTSD Test

Post Infidelity Stress Disorder Test

Do I have betrayal trauma?

PTSD awareness ribbon representing betrayal trauma and infidelity-related PTSD symptoms — a visual symbol of healing and recovery after partner betrayal.

Infidelity manifests as post-traumatic stress. Assess the severity of your betrayal trauma with this brief test. Private, instant results.

It's a validated measure that screens for the core symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD.

It will take about 2 minutes to answer 18 questions. Please read the instructions carefully as you complete the test. See the FAQ below.

Assessment Disclosure: This self-assessment is not a tool for diagnosing any type of health condition and does not provide any type of medical diagnosis or healthcare recommendation. We do not make any warranties concerning the completeness, reliability, and/or accuracy of the survey or its results.

I agree to the disclosure.
- Start the assessment -

What is betrayal trauma?

Intimate partner betrayal is when someone you depend on for survival significantly violates your trust or well-being. You can experience it as betrayal trauma after discovering pornography, sexual or emotional infidelity.

Why do you test for PTSD?

Not just PTSD. This test, the International Trauma Questionnaire, is for Complex PTSD, too.

These are two different types of diagnosable trauma. Most people are familiar with PTSD as a condition of post-traumatic stress after experiencing or witnessing an event involving actual or threatened serious physical harm or death. Source examples are: military combat, sexual assualt/rape, physical assualt, natural disasters, vehicle accidents, etc. It can also involve relational harm, such as the sudden, unexpected death of a loved one. Learning of infidelity can definitely be experienced as post-traumatic stress when viewed as a sudden threat or death of the relationship.

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD or CPTSD) is less well known. It's a condition developed by a series of stressful, non-life threatening experiences or interpersonal victimization, often characterized by one's needs being unmet in an inescapable environment. The series occurs over time, is regularly imprinted in early developmental years, and can be the cause for deep fears and negative core beliefs (I'm unwanted. I'm not worthy. I'm never considered.). Infidelity can cause partners to re-experience the old wounds of this trauma as if they are being relived.

Betrayal harms in the present and the past. Our test covers both types of trauma so you can self-assess the effects of infidelity and how it impacts you.

What is the difference between PTSD and PISD?

PTSD - Post-traumatic stress disorder
PISD - Post-infidelity stress disorder

When talking about the impacts of infidelity, the two terms mean the same thing. PISD is often used to reference post-traumatic stress developed by infidelity. Both refer to the same condition, but PTSD is an official diagnostic label while PISD is not.

In other words, you can use the two terms interchangably in casual conversation. If you were to visit a doctor though, you could be diagnosed with PTSD if you met the criteria. Not so with PISD because it is only jargon, and disorder in its name is misleading since PISD is not medical terminology.

What are the symptoms of PTSD from infidelity?

Symptoms are unique to the indiviual but this list shows many common ones. You can see more on our Betrayal Trauma Healing page. If you identify with any of these, please know there is help and there is hope.

mental "film reel" of intrusive thoughts
insomnia
nightmares
hypervigilance
"brain fog"
appetite disturbances
panic attacks
feeling crazy
feeling powerless
acting outside your value system

Does the pain of betrayal ever go away?

It fades with work toward healing.
Many of our clients say they'll feel better if their betrayer will only get better. Others rightly ask, "It's the betrayer who has the problem, why should I have any work to do?"

We use the analogy of being harmed in a car crash. Even if you aren't responsible, you still have injuries that won't be healed by the other driver's amends. You are in need of healing regardless.

Your betrayer's efforts to be a better person won't mend your emotional wounds, but it can help expedite the process. Your healing is your journey to take. It's unfair, we know that personally. Healing begins when you start and the pain fades in time as long as you keep this as your focus.

Trauma is subjective. Healing journies are unique and dependent on our ability to process trauma. A betrayed partner may suffer with intense symptoms for weeks or months. Less intense symptoms may persist for years while they gradually subside.

That may seem like forever. The time will pass either way. We can either spend it learning and growing, or spend it wondering if life could be different.

We're sorry, this is the hardest thing for us to share with partners in pain. No one wants to hear this message, but you deserve the truth.

How do I know when to seek help?

Many partners over time doubt their instincts for safety, or even to trust their own judgment. This is oftentimes due to being told they are the problem, or to deny what is right in front of them.

Yet, here you are—doing something good for yourself. Trust in that you made it here and you can do more to heal. Follow your intuition that leads to safety and help from a professional trained in betrayal trauma. Our betrayal trauma coach has the training and lived experience herself.

An early healing objective is to learn how to start trusting others again while staying true to yourself. That's done with support from someone who can relate to your pain and guide you back to your intuition.

If you're still unsure, we invite you to take this test to help gauge your degree of trauma. Let the results be a guide for you. Our coach has an audio message for you after the test.

We understand facing the reality can be a scary prospect, too. We have healing resources available that don't involve contacting anyone. We hope you find them beneficial.

What is a betrayal trauma coach?

Also known as a betrayal trauma partner coach, this is someone who has trained specifically in betrayal trauma by an accredited agency and is versed in trauma-informed care.

Partner coaching specializes in helping clients heal from the significant violation of their trust and wellbeing. It's a compassionate and judgment-free alliance between a client and coach that examines how and why the trauma of betrayal impacts the mind and body.

Together, they set healing goals and find safe, effective ways to achieve them. Partners learn how to calm the pain and racing thoughts, and how to ground when feeling triggered. Most importantly, partners have a safe and empathetic space to explore the impacts of the betrayal with a coach who has lived a similar experience.

Rebecca is our betrayal trauma partner coach. She offers a compassionate, real-world approach to partners who are not sure what they should do or where to turn for help. She has walked this journey herself and can be fully empathetic to partners in their time of need.

I have more questions. How can I contact you?

We know this is a difficult time, and we're honored to answer your questions.
Click the button to send a message to our betrayal trauma coach.

International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ)

Ponder each of the 18 survey questions carefully as they relate to your experience of the betrayal.

Below are six problems that people sometimes report in response to traumatic or stressful life events.

Please read each item carefully, then indicate how much you have been bothered by that problem in the past month.

18. Having upsetting dreams that replay part of the experience or are clearly related to the experience?

17. Having powerful images or memories that sometimes come into your mind in which you feel the experience is happening again in the here and now?

16. Avoiding internal reminders of the experience?
(for example: thoughts, feelings, or physical sensations)

15. Avoiding external reminders of the experience?
(for example: people, places, conversations, objects, activities, or situations)

14. Being “super-alert”, watchful, or on guard?

13. Feeling jumpy or easily startled?

In the past month, have the above problems:

12. Affected your relationships or social life?

11. Affected your work or ability to work?

10. Affected any other important part of your life?
(such as parenting, school or college work, or other important activities)

Below are six more problems that people who have had stressful or traumatic events sometimes experience.

The questions refer to ways you typically feel emotionally, ways you typically think about yourself, and ways you typically relate to others.

Answer the following statements thinking about how true each one is of you.

9. When I am upset, it takes me a long time to calm down.

8. I feel numb or emotionally shut down.

7. I feel like a failure.

6. I feel worthless.

5. I feel distant or cut off from people.

4. I find it hard to stay emotionally close to people.

In the past month, have the above problems in feelings, in beliefs about yourself and in relationships:

3. Created concern or distress about your relationships or social life?

2. Affected your work or ability to work?

1. Affected any other important parts of your life?
(such as parenting, school or college work, or other important activities)

Your responses do not meet the threshold criteria for PTSD or Complex PTSD.

But that does not mean you aren't experiencing pain from pornography, sexual, or emotional infidelity. There's a reason you are here. This survey is only a tool and not the sole determinant for suffering.

We invite you to review the common symptoms of betrayal trauma and learn how to heal from it.

Your score is consistent with criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Your score is consistent with criteria for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C·PTSD).

Trauma Severity Scale

0.1 - 1.6 Minimal

1.7 - 2.8 Mild

2.9 - 4.5 Moderate

4.6 - 7.0 Severe

7.1 - 10 Very severe

Helplessness and isolation are the core experience of psychological trauma.

Feeling powerless and lonely are two of the many symptoms of betrayal trauma. You may feel like you have nowhere to turn and no one to speak to.

Rebecca, our betrayal trauma specialist, has lived it, too. She's had to heal from her own partner's pornography and emotional infidelity.

She has a page dedicated to helping women understand the trauma associated with betrayal and how to heal from it.

Healing from betrayal trauma

R E B E C C A B L E V I N S

Betrayal Trauma Specialist

Rebecca helps women heal betrayal trauma from porn, sexual and emotional infidelity. She validates their feelings, empathizes with their pain, educates them on the impacts of their trauma, and coaches them on the journey to healing.

Contact Rebecca