Oxford Paranoia Defence Behaviours Questionnaire (O-PDQ)
A printable PDF version of Oxford Paranoia Defence Behaviour Questionnaire (O-PDQ) is available for download and use.
Lambe S., Mulhall S., Bird J., Williams K., Mitchell, J., Roddan, M., Sokunle G., Rosebrock, L., Freeman, C., and Waite F. (2025) The Oxford Paranoia Defence Behaviours Questionnaire (O-PDQ): assessing paranoia-related safety-seeking behaviours. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. 53(3):224-237.
This questionnaire is interested in the types of things people do to reduce the risk of being harmed by others. When worried about being harmed by others, people can put up defences to keep themselves safe.
Part 1: Avoidance
Sometimes when people feel under threat from others, they avoid situations or activities to lower the risk of being harmed. Please select the number that best describes how often you have avoided the following places or people in the past two weeks.
places and people i avoid to keep myself safe.
1: my local shop.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
2: shopping centres.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
3: Using public transport (e.g. bus, train).
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
4: Cafés.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
5: Gyms.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
6: Parks.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
7: Walking on the street.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
8: Open spaces..
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
9: People in authority (e.g. the police).
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
10: My neighbours.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
11: GP surgery or health centre.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
12: My workplace or place of education.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
n/a
PART 2: In situation-defences
There may be times when a person can't avoid being in threatening situations. At these times, they may put up a number of defences to reduce the risk of being harmed by others.
Please circle the number that best describes how often you have done each strategy in the last two weeks.
Strategies to keep myself safe from others.
1: I keep the curtains closed so I can’t be watched.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
2: I only go out at certain times of the day that I think are safer.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
3: I have an escape plan ready.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
4: I check for smells that might indicate danger.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
5: I repeatedly check all the locks and windows.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
6: I carefully plan my routes to avoid danger.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
7: I position myself so that I have a clear view of everyone.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
8: I keep my head down.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
9: I check if the items in my home have been interfered with.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
10: I keep someone with me for protection.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
11: I watch out for signs of danger.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
12: I try to do what I need to do as quickly as possible.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
13: I don’t stay anywhere for too long.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
14: I stay away from the windows so I can’t be watched.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
15: I wear clothes that I can easily run away in.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
16: I listen out for any sounds that might indicate danger.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
17: I plan for the dangers that might exist.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
18: I watch out for threatening body language.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
19: I try to keep a low profile.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
20: I avoid making eye contact to prevent others from harming me.
0 Never
1 Occasionally
2 Often
3 Always
SCORING guidelines
Avoidance Scale (Items 1-12)
Subscale Scoring:
Indoor Spaces = Sum of items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (range: 0-15)
Item 1: My local shop
Item 2: Shopping centres
Item 3: Using public transport (e.g. bus, train)
Item 4: Cafes
Item 5: Gyms
Outdoor Spaces = Sum of items 6, 7, 8 (range: 0-9)
Item 6: Parks
Item 7: Walking on the street
Item 8: Open spaces
Interactions = Sum of items 9, 10, 11, 12 (range: 0-12)
Item 9: People in authority (e.g. the police)
Item 10: My neighbours
Item 11: GP surgery or health centre
Item 12: My workplace or place of education
Total Avoidance = Indoor Spaces + Outdoor Spaces + Interactions (range: 0-36)
Note about item 12: The avoidance scale has one N/A option for item 12 (My workplace or place of education). If N/A is selected, this item is scored with the mean item score, calculated from the other 11 items (item 12 = sum of items 1-11 divided by 11).
In-Situation Defences Scale (Items 1-20)
Subscale Scoring:
Maintaining Safety at Home = Sum of items 1, 5, 9, 14 (range: 0-12)
Item 1: I keep the curtains closed so I can't be watched
Item 5: I repeatedly check all the locks and windows
Item 9: I check if the items in my home have been interfered with
Item 14: I stay away from the windows so I can't be watched
Mitigating Risk = Sum of items 2, 6, 10 (range: 0-9)
Item 2: I only go out at certain times of the day that I think are safer
Item 6: I carefully plan my routes to avoid danger
Item 10: I keep someone with me for protection
Preparing for Escape = Sum of items 3, 15, 17 (range: 0-9)
Item 3: I have an escape plan ready
Item 15: I wear clothes that I can easily run away in
Item 17: I plan for the dangers that might exist
Staying Vigilant = Sum of items 4, 7, 11, 16, 18 (range: 0-15)
Item 4: I check for smells that might indicate danger
Item 7: I position myself so that I have a clear view of everyone
Item 11: I watch out for signs of danger
Item 16: I listen out for any sounds that might indicate danger
Item 18: I watch out for threatening body language
Keeping a Low Profile = Sum of items 8, 12, 13, 19, 20 (range: 0-15)
Item 8: I keep my head down
Item 12: I try to do what I need to do as quickly as possible
Item 13: I don't stay anywhere for too long
Item 19: I try to keep a low profile
Item 20: I avoid making eye contact to prevent others from harming me
Total In-Situation Defences = Sum of all 20 items (range: 0-60)