Emetophobia Test
A confidential self-assessment for the fear of vomiting, built on the validated Specific Phobia of Vomiting Inventory (SPOVI). It scores the two patterns that keep emetophobia going, avoidance and threat monitoring, over the past week. Get an instant, plain-language result and an optional in-depth personalized report or bring to a therapist.
Emetophobia Test is a free, confidential 14-question self-assessment, based on the validated SPOVI. It takes about 4 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 4 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
Two behaviors that keep the fear of vomiting alive
Emetophobia is rarely just a feeling. It runs on what you do about the fear, and the SPOVI was designed to measure exactly that. This test scores your avoidance and your threat monitoring over the past week, then adds them into a total, because both patterns are what treatment actually targets.
The full 14-item SPOVI
Adapted from all 14 items of the Specific Phobia of Vomiting Inventory (Veale et al., 2013), reworded for readability while keeping their meaning. Each is rated from 0 (not at all) to 4 (all the time) over the past week, for a total from 0 to 56.
Avoidance and threat monitoring
The SPOVI is scored as a single total. We group the items into two familiar patterns, avoiding anything that could lead to vomiting and constantly scanning your body and surroundings for signs of sickness, and show a score for each. That split is our own descriptive grouping, not a validated SPOVI subscale.
Fear of vomiting, not everyday disgust
Almost no one likes being sick. Emetophobia is different: an intense, persistent fear of vomiting, yourself or others, that drives avoidance and reshapes daily choices. This test helps you see where your fear sits on that line.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Adapted from all 14 SPOVI items | Almost never | Yes, faithful wording |
| Separates avoidance from monitoring | No | Yes, our own descriptive grouping |
| Focused on emetophobia specifically | Generic fear quiz | Yes, fear of vomiting |
| Explains the avoidance and safety-behavior trap | Rarely | Yes, and what reverses it |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | Rarely | Yes, reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–56 in total. Your result falls into one of 4 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–13 | Little sign of emetophobia | Your total falls in the lower range. Some caution around being sick is normal, and on this measure it does not look like fear of vomiting is steering your week. |
| 14–27 | Some emetophobia-related patterns | Your total falls in a middle range. Some avoidance and monitoring around being sick appear to be present, enough to be worth understanding and very workable with support. |
| 28–41 | Marked fear of vomiting | Your total falls in a higher range, close to what people with emetophobia reported in the study behind this test. This is worth taking seriously and gently. |
| 42–56 | Severe fear of vomiting | Your total falls in the highest range. That reflects a heavy load of avoidance and monitoring to carry through a week, and support can make a real difference. |
Methodology & sources
This test is based on the validated Specific Phobia of Vomiting Inventory (SPOVI; Veale, Ellison, Boschen, et al., 2013), a 14-item measure of emetophobia. The SPOVI is validated as a single total. We also group the items into two familiar patterns, avoidance and threat monitoring or checking, and present a score for each alongside the combined total, but that split is our own descriptive grouping rather than a validated SPOVI subscale structure. Each item is reworded for readability while staying faithful to the original construct, and rated from 0 (not at all) to 4 (all the time) for how it has been over the past week. The engine adds the 14 items into a total from 0 to 56.
The bands here are guide ranges, not official diagnostic cutoffs. They are informed by the SPOVI validation study, in which people with emetophobia scored much higher on average than people without it, and they are set conservatively so a higher score reads as a prompt to look closer rather than a verdict. This assessment is for education and self-reflection, not diagnosis. Emetophobia is a specific phobia, and if you want to see how your fear of vomiting sits next to other common fears, our broader phobia test maps fear across all five specific phobia types. Only a licensed clinician can decide whether a fear meets the criteria for a specific phobia.
References
- Veale D, Ellison N, Boschen MJ, et al. Development of an inventory to measure specific phobia of vomiting (emetophobia). Cognit Ther Res. 2013;37(3):595–604.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2022.
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, August 28). Emetophobia Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/emetophobia
Emetophobia Test FAQ
What are the symptoms of emetophobia, and am I emetophobic?
Emetophobia is an intense, persistent fear of vomiting, whether being sick yourself or seeing someone else be sick. The usual signs are anxiety and nausea at the thought of vomiting, plus wide-ranging avoidance around food, illness, travel, and places without an easy exit. Many people organize a surprising amount of daily life around not being sick, which is part of what keeps the fear strong. If that sounds familiar, this test scores how much those patterns shape your week, though only a clinician can confirm a phobia.
What is the SPOVI?
The Specific Phobia of Vomiting Inventory (SPOVI) is a validated 14-item questionnaire developed by Veale and colleagues in 2013 to measure emetophobia. Rather than asking only how afraid you feel, it measures the behaviors that sustain the fear: avoidance and threat monitoring or checking. That behavioral focus is why it maps so closely onto what treatment works on.
Is a high score a diagnosis?
No. This test is for education and self-reflection only. A high score suggests that avoidance and monitoring around vomiting are shaping your week, which is worth taking seriously, but only a licensed clinician can assess whether you have a specific phobia or any related condition. If your result concerns you, consider talking with an anxiety therapist.
Is emetophobia treatable?
Yes, and often very effectively. Specific phobias are among the most treatable conditions in mental health, and cognitive behavioral therapy with gradual exposure and response prevention has good evidence for emetophobia in particular. Treatment works by loosening the avoidance and safety behaviors this test measures, so the fear has less to feed on. Many people regain real freedom around food, travel, and daily life.
How is this different from a general phobia test?
This test focuses only on the fear of vomiting and uses the validated SPOVI, so it goes deep on one phobia. Our broader phobia test does the opposite: it maps your fear across all five specific phobia types, such as animals, heights, and blood or needles, and shows which domain stands out. If you are unsure whether vomiting is your main fear, start there; if you already know it is, this SPOVI-based test gives you a more precise picture.
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