Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (10-item).

K10

What it measures

Non-specific psychological distress (anxious and depressive symptoms) over the past 4 weeks; a transdiagnostic distress screen for population mental-health surveillance, not a diagnostic measure

Length and format

10 items. 5-point frequency (1 none of the time to 5 all of the time), summed 10-50; common bands 10-19 likely well, 20-24 mild, 25-29 moderate, 30-50 severe distress (Australian convention) (self-report questionnaire)

Language versions

Many languages incl. ES, ZH, JA, AR, FR, NL, PT, EL and others; used in national surveys worldwide (WHO World Mental Health surveys)

Normative data

No normative data held in our reference library for this instrument. That is a statement about our library, not about the published literature.

Licence

public-domain / open

Licence classification is a research judgement by the catalogue’s authors, not legal advice, and it can be out of date. Confirm terms with the copyright holder or publisher before using an instrument, especially for commercial use.

Reference

Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., et al. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959-976.