Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

K10 and K6 Scales

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
International Handbook of Behavioral Health Assessment

Abstract

Serious mental illness (SMI) is a highly debilitating condition with detrimental consequences if left untreated. Accessible and effective treatments exist, highlighting the importance of identifying people with SMI efficiently to allocate finite healthcare resources to those most in need. The brief unidimensional 10-item Kessler-10 (K10) and 6-item Kessler-6 (K6) scales were developed to meet this need for efficient screening measures to detect SMI. These K10/K6 scales measure behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and physiological aspects of nonspecific psychological distress based on the diagnostic criteria for major depressive episode and generalized anxiety disorder. The original scales had a 30-day recall period, but this can be modified for specific epidemiological and clinical purposes. Epidemiological surveys across various countries consistently show that the unidimensional K10/K6 scales have high concordance with blinded clinician-rated diagnoses of SMI and, at times, any mood or anxiety disorder. These studies consistently show that the K10/K6 scales have strong construct validity and good retest reliability. The K10/K6 have been used in 30 countries worldwide and translated into at least 25 languages. This chapter presents an overview of the development process of the K10/K6 scales, a review of the psychometric properties of the scales as tools for screening for SMI, depression, and anxiety disorders, language translations, cultural considerations, scoring recommendations, limitations, and future directions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersen, L. S., Grimsrud, A., Myer, L., Williams, D. R., Stein, D. J., & Seedat, S. (2011). The psychometric properties of the K10 and K6 scales in screening for mood and anxiety disorders in the South African Stress and Health study. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 20(4), 215–223. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.351

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, T. M., Sunderland, M., Andrews, G., Titov, N., Dear, B. F., & Sachdev, P. S. (2013). The 10-item Kessler psychological distress scale (K10) as a screening instrument in older individuals. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 21(7), 596–606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2013.01.009

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, G., & Slade, T. (2001). Interpreting scores on the Kessler psychological distress scale (K10). Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 25(6), 494–497. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-842X.2001.tb00310.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arnaud, B., Malet, L., Teissedre, F., Izaute, M., Moustafa, F., Geneste, J., Schmidt, J., Llorca, P. M., & Brousse, G. (2010). Validity study of Kessler’s psychological distress scales conducted among patients admitted to French emergency department for alcohol consumption-related disorders. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 34(7), 1235–1245. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01201.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baillie, A. J. (2005). Predictive gender and education bias in Kessler’s psychological distress scale (K10). Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 40(9), 743–748. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0935-9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Batterham, P. J., Sunderland, M., Slade, T., Calear, A. L., & Carragher, N. (2018). Assessing distress in the community: Psychometric properties and crosswalk comparison of eight measures of psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 48(8), 1316–1324. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717002835

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4(6), 561–571. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1961.01710120031004

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benjamin, M. M., Bossarte, R., Guha, A., Shah, M., & Patel, B. (2021). Depression and anxiety in patients with heart disease and/or cancer based on the National Health Interview Survey. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings Journal, 34(1), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/08998280.2020.1799736

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, J., Finucane, M. L., Locker, A. R., Baird, M. D., Roth, E. A., & Collins, R. L. (2021). A longitudinal study of psychological distress in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preventive Medicine, 143, 106362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106362

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cairney, J., Veldhuizen, S., Wade, T. J., Kurdyak, P., & Streiner, D. L. (2007). Evaluation of 2 measures of psychological distress as screeners for depression in the general population. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 52(2), 111–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674370705200209

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carra, G., Sciarini, P., Segagni-Lusignani, G., Clerici, M., Montomoli, C., & Kessler, R. C. (2011). Do they actually work across borders? Evaluation of two measures of psychological distress as screening instruments in a non Anglo-Saxon country. European Psychiatry, 26(2), 122–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.04.008

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (2018). All for one and one for all: Mental disorders in one dimension. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(9), 831–844. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17121383

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm. Accessed 8 Sept 2022.

  • Donker, T., Comijs, H., Cuijpers, P., Terluin, B., Nolen, W., Zitman, F., & Penninx, B. (2010). The validity of the Dutch K10 and extended K10 screening scales for depressive and anxiety disorders. Psychiatry Research, 176(1), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2009.01.012

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Easton, S. D., Safadi, N. S., Wang, Y., & Hasson, R. G., 3rd. (2017). The Kessler psychological distress scale: Translation and validation of an Arabic version. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 15(1), 215. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-017-0783-9

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fassaert, T., De Wit, M. A., Tuinebreijer, W. C., Wouters, H., Verhoeff, A. P., Beekman, A. T., & Dekker, J. (2009). Psychometric properties of an interviewer-administered version of the Kessler psychological distress scale (K10) among Dutch, Moroccan and Turkish respondents. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 18(3), 159–168. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.288

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ferro, M. A. (2019). The psychometric properties of the Kessler psychological distress scale (K6) in an epidemiological sample of Canadian youth. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(9), 647–657. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743718818414

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • First, M. B., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., & Williams, J. B. W. (1997). Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders, research version, non-patient edition (SCID-I/NP). Biometrics Research, New York State Psychiatric Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • First, M. B., Williams, J. B., Karg, R. S., & Spitzer, R. L. (2015). Structured clinical interview for DSM-5 – Research version (SCID-5-RV). American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fortuna, K. L., Naslund, J. A., LaCroix, J. M., Bianco, C. L., Brooks, J. M., Zisman-Ilani, Y., Muralidharan, A., & Deegan, P. (2020). Digital peer support mental health interventions for people with a lived experience of a serious mental illness: Systematic review. JMIR Mental Health, 7(4), e16460. https://doi.org/10.2196/16460

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Furukawa, T. A., Kessler, R. C., Slade, T., & Andrews, G. (2003). The performance of the K6 and K10 screening scales for psychological distress in the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. Psychological Medicine, 33(2), 357–362. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291702006700

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Furukawa, T. A., Kawakami, N., Saitoh, M., Ono, Y., Nakane, Y., Nakamura, Y., Tachimori, H., Iwata, N., Uda, H., Nakane, H., Watanabe, M., Naganuma, Y., Hata, Y., Kobayashi, M., Miyake, Y., Takeshima, T., & Kikkawa, T. (2008). The performance of the Japanese version of the K6 and K10 in the World Mental Health Survey Japan. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 17(3), 152–158. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.257

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Giesinger, J., Rumpold, M. G., & Schüßler, G. (2008). Die K10-Screening-Skala für unspezifischen psychischen Distress. Psychosomatik und Konsiliarpsychiatrie, 2(2), 104–111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11800-008-0100-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, D. P. (1972). The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire: A technique for the identification and assessment of non-psychotic psychiatric illness. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, D. P., Gater, R., Sartorius, N., Ustun, T. B., Piccinelli, M., Gureje, O., & Rutter, C. (1997). The validity of two versions of the GHQ in the WHO study of mental illness in general health care. Psychological Medicine, 27(1), 191–197. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291796004242

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hajebi, A., Motevalian, A., Amin-Esmaeili, M., Rahimi-Movaghar, A., Sharifi, V., Hoseini, L., Shadloo, B., & Mojtabai, R. (2018). Adaptation and validation of short scales for assessment of psychological distress in Iran: The Persian K10 and K6. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 27(3), e1726. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1726

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hanlon, C., Medhin, G., Selamu, M., Breuer, E., Worku, B., Hailemariam, M., Lund, C., Prince, M., & Fekadu, A. (2015). Validity of brief screening questionnaires to detect depression in primary care in Ethiopia. Journal of Affective Disorders, 186, 32–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.07.015

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harkness, J., Pennell, B.-E., Villar, A., Gebler, N., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., Bilgen, I., Kessler, R. C., & Ãœstün, T. B. (2008). Translation procedures and translation assessment in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative. In R. C. Kessler & T. B. Ãœstün (Eds.), The WHO world mental health surveys: Global perspectives on the epidemiology of mental disorders. World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, R. D., Chang, C. K., Fernandes, A. C., Begum, A., To, D., Broadbent, M., Hotopf, M., & Stewart, R. (2012). Functional status and all-cause mortality in serious mental illness. PLoS ONE, 7(9), e44613. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044613

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kang, Y. K., Guo, W. J., Xu, H., Chen, Y. H., Li, X. J., Tan, Z. P., Li, N., Gesang, Z. R., Wang, Y. M., Liu, C. B., Luo, Y., Feng, J., Xu, Q. J., Lee, S., & Li, T. (2015). The 6-item Kessler psychological distress scale to survey serious mental illness among Chinese undergraduates: Psychometric properties and prevalence estimate. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 63, 105–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2015.08.011

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., & Ãœstün, T. B. (2004). The World Mental Health (WMH) survey initiative version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 13(2), 93–121. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.168

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P. A., Zhao, S., Leaf, P. J., Kouzis, A. C., Bruce, M. L., Friedman, R. M., Grosser, R. C., Kennedy, C., & Narrow, W. (1996). The 12-month prevalence and correlates of serious mental illness (SMI). In R. W. Manderscheid & M. A. Sonnenschein (Eds.), Mental Health, United States. US Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D. K., Normand, S. L., Walters, E. E., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959–976. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291702006074

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Barker, P. R., Colpe, L. J., Epstein, J. F., Gfroerer, J. C., Hiripi, E., Howes, M. J., Normand, S. L., Manderscheid, R. W., Walters, E. E., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2003). Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. JAMA Psychiatry, 60(2), 184–189. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.2.184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Adler, L., Ames, M., Demler, O., Faraone, S., Hiripi, E., Howes, M. J., Jin, R., Secnik, K., Spencer, T., Ustun, T. B., & Walters, E. E. (2005). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): A short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychological Medicine, 35(2), 245–256. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291704002892

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Green, J. G., Gruber, M. J., Sampson, N. A., Bromet, E., Cuitan, M., Furukawa, T. A., Gureje, O., Hinkov, H., Hu, C. Y., Lara, C., Lee, S., Mneimneh, Z., Myer, L., Oakley-Browne, M., Posada-Villa, J., Sagar, R., Viana, M. C., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2010). Screening for serious mental illness in the general population with the K6 screening scale: Results from the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) survey initiative. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 19(Suppl 1), 4–22. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.310

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Chiu, W. T., Hwang, I. H., Puac-Polanco, V., Sampson, N. A., Ziobrowski, H. N., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2022). Changes in prevalence of mental illness among US adults during compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 45(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2021.11.013

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, G., DeCoster, J., Bryant, A. N., & Ford, K. L. (2016). Measurement equivalence of the K6 scale: The effects of race/ethnicity and language. Assessment, 23(6), 758–768. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191115599639

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2003). The Patient Health Questionnaire-2: Validity of a two-item depression screener. Medical Care, 41(11), 1284–1292. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.Mlr.0000093487.78664.3c

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kubiak, S. P., Beeble, M. L., & Bybee, D. (2010). Testing the validity of the K6 in detecting major depression and PTSD among jailed women. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37(1), 64–80. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854809348139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S., Tsang, A., Ng, K. L., Ma, Y. L., Guo, W., Mak, A., & Kwok, K. (2012). Performance of the 6-item Kessler scale for measuring serious mental illness in Hong Kong. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 53(5), 584–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2011.10.001

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levinson, D., Lakoma, M. D., Petukhova, M., Schoenbaum, M., Zaslavsky, A. M., Angermeyer, M., Borges, G., Bruffaerts, R., de Girolamo, G., de Graaf, R., Gureje, O., Haro, J. M., Hu, C., Karam, A. N., Kawakami, N., Lee, S., Lepine, J. P., Browne, M. O., Okoliyski, M., Posada-Villa, J., Sagar, R., Viana, M. C., Williams, D. R., & Kessler, R. C. (2010). Associations of serious mental illness with earnings: Results from the WHO World Mental Health surveys. British Journal of Psychiatry, 197(2), 114–121. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.109.073635

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linden, W. J., & Hambleton, R. K. (1997). Handbook of modern item response theory. Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lipman, R. S., Covi, L., & Shapiro, A. K. (1979). The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL)--factors derived from the HSCL-90. Journal of Affective Disorders, 1(1), 9–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(79)90021-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Makanjuola, V. A., Onyeama, M., Nuhu, F. T., Kola, L., & Gureje, O. (2014). Validation of short screening tools for common mental disorders in Nigerian general practices. General Hospital Psychiatry, 36(3), 325–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2013.12.010

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mandrekar, J. N. (2010). Receiver operating characteristic curve in diagnostic test assessment. Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 5(9), 1315–1316. https://doi.org/10.1097/JTO.0b013e3181ec173d

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mewton, L., Kessler, R. C., Slade, T., Hobbs, M. J., Brownhill, L., Birrell, L., Tonks, Z., Teesson, M., Newton, N., Chapman, C., Allsop, S., Hides, L., McBride, N., & Andrews, G. (2016). The psychometric properties of the Kessler psychological distress scale (K6) in a general population sample of adolescents. Psychological Assessment, 28(10), 1232–1242. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000239

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, C. M., & Beals, J. (2011). The utility of the Kessler Screening Scale for Psychological Distress (K6) in two American Indian communities. Psychological Assessment, 23(3), 752–761. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023288

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Oakley Browne, M. A., Wells, J. E., Scott, K. M., & McGee, M. A. (2010). The Kessler psychological distress scale in Te Rau Hinengaro: The New Zealand Mental Health Survey. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(4), 314–322. https://doi.org/10.3109/00048670903279820

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ongeri, L., Ametaj, A., Kim, H., Stroud, R. E., Newton, C. R., Kariuki, S. M., Atwoli, L., Kwobah, E., & Gelaye, B. (2022). Measuring psychological distress using the K10 in Kenya. Journal of Affective Disorders, 303, 155–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.02.012

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Osman, N., Chow, W. S., Michel, C., Meisenzahl, E., Schimmelmann, B. G., & Schultze-Lutter, F. (2022). Psychometric properties of the Kessler psychological scales in a Swiss young-adult community sample indicate poor suitability for community screening for mental disorders. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13296

  • Patel, V., Araya, R., Chowdhary, N., King, M., Kirkwood, B., Nayak, S., Simon, G., & Weiss, H. A. (2008). Detecting common mental disorders in primary care in India: A comparison of five screening questionnaires. Psychological Medicine, 38(2), 221–228. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291707002334

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I., Menaghan, E. G., Lieberman, M. A., & Mullan, J. T. (1981). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22(4), 337–356. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136676

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pyakuryal, A., Tausig, M., Subedi, S., & Subedi, J. (2011). Strangers in a familiar land: The psychological consequences of internal migration in a developing country. Stress and Health, 27(3), e199–e208. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rush, B., Castel, S., Brands, B., Toneatto, T., & Veldhuizen, S. (2013). Validation and comparison of diagnostic accuracy of four screening tools for mental disorders in people seeking treatment for substance use disorders. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 44(4), 375–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2012.08.221

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • SAMHSA. (2022). Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disorders. Accessed 4 Sept 2022.

  • Sampasa-Kanyinga, H., Zamorski, M. A., & Colman, I. (2018). The psychometric properties of the 10-item Kessler psychological distress scale (K10) in Canadian military personnel. PLoS One, 13(4), e0196562. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196562

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sandanger, I., Moum, T., Ingebrigtsen, G., Dalgard, O. S., Sørensen, T., & Bruusgaard, D. (1998). Concordance between symptom screening and diagnostic procedure: The Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview I. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 33(7), 345–354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s001270050064

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shon, E. J. (2020). Measurement equivalence of the Kessler 6 Psychological Distress Scale for Chinese and Korean immigrants: Comparison between younger and older adults. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 29(2), e1823. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1823

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Skapinakis, P. (2007). The 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale had high sensitivity and specificity for detecting GAD in primary care. Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 12(5), 149. https://doi.org/10.1136/ebm.12.5.149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spies, G., Stein, D. J., Roos, A., Faure, S. C., Mostert, J., Seedat, S., & Vythilingum, B. (2009). Validity of the Kessler 10 (K-10) in detecting DSM-IV defined mood and anxiety disorders among pregnant women. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 12(2), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-009-0050-0

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Staples, L. G., Dear, B. F., Gandy, M., Fogliati, V., Fogliati, R., Karin, E., Nielssen, O., & Titov, N. (2019). Psychometric properties and clinical utility of brief measures of depression, anxiety, and general distress: The PHQ-2, GAD-2, and K-6. General Hospital Psychiatry, 56, 13–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2018.11.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stolk, Y., Kaplan, I., & Szwarc, J. (2014). Clinical use of the Kessler psychological distress scales with culturally diverse groups. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 23(2), 161–183. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1426

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sunderland, M., Mahoney, A., & Andrews, G. (2012). Investigating the factor structure of the Kessler psychological distress scale in community and clinical samples of the Australian population. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 34(2), 253–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-012-9276-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tesfaye, M., Hanlon, C., Wondimagegn, D., & Alem, A. (2010). Detecting postnatal common mental disorders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Kessler Scales. Journal of Affective Disorders, 122(1), 102–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2009.06.020

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thelin, C., Mikkelsen, B., Laier, G., Turgut, L., Henriksen, B., Olsen, L. R., Larsen, J. K., & Arnfred, S. (2017). Danish translation and validation of Kessler’s 10-item psychological distress scale – K10. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 71(6), 411–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2017.1312517

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tiong, X. T., Abdullah, N. S. S., Bujang, M. A., Sapri, F. E., Fong, A. Y. Y., Ratnasingam, S., Joon, C. K., Wee, H. L., Venkataraman, K., & Tai, E. S. (2018). Validation of the Kessler’s psychological distress scale (K10 & K6) in a Malaysian population. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, 19, 2231–7805.

    Google Scholar 

  • Umucu, E., Fortuna, K., Jung, H., Bialunska, A., Lee, B., Mangadu, T., Storm, M., Ergun, G., Mozer, D. A., & Brooks, J. (2021). A national study to assess validity and psychometrics of the short Kessler psychological distress scale (K6). Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 65(2), 140–149. https://doi.org/10.1177/00343552211043261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Heyningen, T., Honikman, S., Tomlinson, M., Field, S., & Myer, L. (2018). Comparison of mental health screening tools for detecting antenatal depression and anxiety disorders in South African women. PLoS One, 13(4), e0193697. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193697

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Vissoci, J. R. N., Vaca, S. D., El-Gabri, D., de Oliveira, L. P., Mvungi, M., Mmbaga, B. T., Haglund, M., & Staton, C. (2018). Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Kessler Scale of Psychological Distress to a traumatic brain injury population in Swahili and the Tanzanian setting. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 16(1), 147. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-018-0973-0

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, D., Ma, J., Tan, L., Chen, Y., Li, X., Tian, X., Zhou, X., & Liu, X. (2017). Epidemiology of severe mental illness in Hunan province in Central China during 2014–2015: A multistage cross-sectional study. PLoS ONE, 12(11), e0188312. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188312

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ware, J. E., Jr., & Sherbourne, C. D. (1992). The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36): I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Medical Care, 30(6), 473–483.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, R. T., Qin, P., Stevens, H., Appleby, L., Shaw, J., & Mortensen, P. B. (2013). Combined influence of serious mental illness and criminal offending on suicide risk in younger adults. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48(1), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0517-6

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whiting, P., Rutjes, A. W., Reitsma, J. B., Glas, A. S., Bossuyt, P. M., & Kleijnen, J. (2004). Sources of variation and bias in studies of diagnostic accuracy: A systematic review. Annals of Internal Medicine, 140(3), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-140-3-200402030-00010

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wijeratne, L. T., Williams, S. S., Rodrigo, M. D. A., Peris, M. U. P. K., Kawamura, N., & Wickremasinghe, A. R. (2011). Validation of the Kessler’s psychological distress scale among the Sinhalese population in Sri Lanka. South Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 21–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (2010). National Comorbidity Survey. https://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/k6_scales.php. Accessed 10 Sept 2022.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Nur Hani Zainal, Nancy A. Sampson & Ronald C. Kessler

  2. School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Hannah N. Ziobrowski

  3. Department of Health Policy and Management, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, New York City, NY, USA

    Victor Puac-Polanco

Authors
  1. Victor Puac-Polanco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hannah N. Ziobrowski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nur Hani Zainal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nancy A. Sampson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ronald C. Kessler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ronald C. Kessler .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. North Shore Campus, Auckland Univ of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Christian U. Krägeloh

  2. Dept of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Mohsen Alyami

  3. School of Psychology, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Oleg N. Medvedev

Appendix

Appendix

figure a
figure b
figure c

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Puac-Polanco, V., Ziobrowski, H.N., Zainal, N.H., Sampson, N.A., Kessler, R.C. (2023). K10 and K6 Scales. In: Krägeloh, C.U., Alyami, M., Medvedev, O.N. (eds) International Handbook of Behavioral Health Assessment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89738-3_49-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89738-3_49-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-89738-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-89738-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation