Table of Contents
Instructions:
These questions concern how you have been feeling over the past 30 days. Press a box for each question that best represents how you have been .
| All of the time | Most of the time | Some of the time | A little of the time | None of the time | ||
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel tired out for no good reason? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel nervous? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you
down? |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel hopeless? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel restless or fidgety? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel so restless you could not sit still? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel depressed? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel that everything was an effort? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel so sad that nothing could cheer you up? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel worthless? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
Description
The K10 is a psychological screening tool designed to identify adults with significant levels of psychological distress so that they may be appropriately managed. It has been widely used in the United States as well as in Australia, where it has been included in the Australian Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (1997) and the Australian National Health Surveys.
Validity and Reliability
It has been validated for use by Professor Gavin Andrews and research has revealed a strong association between high scores on the K10 and a current CIDI (WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview) diagnosis of anxiety and affective disorders. There is a lesser but significant association between the K10 and other mental disorder categories and with the presence of any current mental disorder (Andrews & Slade, 2001). Sensitivity and specificity data analysis also supports the K10 as an appropriate screening instrument to identify likely cases of anxiety and depression in the community and to monitor treatment outcomes.
Interpretation
Scores range from 10 to 50 with higher scores indicating a greater likelihood of having a mental disorder, or a higher severity of psychological distress. Scores can be split into four main categories. People seen in primary care who score; under 20 are likely to be psychologically well, 20-24 are likely to have a mild mental disorder, 25-29 are likely to have moderate mental disorder, 30 and over are likely to have a severe mental disorder. 13% of the adult population will score 20 and over and approximately 25% of patients seen in primary care will score 20 and over. This is a screening instrument and practitioners should make a clinical judgment as to whether a person is distressed. Scores usually decline with psychological treatment. Patients whose scores remain above 24 after treatment should be reviewed.
Developer
The scale was developed in 1992 by Kessler for use in population surveys.
Number Of Questions
10
References
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.
Developer Reference:
The scale was developed in 1992 by Kessler for use in population surveys.
This content is licensed under a CC-BY license. The CC-BY licenses grant rights of use the scales in your studies (the measurement instrument and its documentation), but do not replace copyright. This remains with the copyright holder, and you have to cite us as the source.
Mohammed Looti, PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES (2023) The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/the-kessler-psychological-distress-scale-k10/. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31575.96163