The Psychometric Properties of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) in an Epidemiological Sample of Canadian Youth - PubMed (original) (raw)
The Psychometric Properties of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) in an Epidemiological Sample of Canadian Youth
Mark A Ferro. Can J Psychiatry. 2019 Sep.
Abstract
Objective: This study (1) describes the distribution of Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) scores in an epidemiological sample of youth, (2) reports its item correlations and internal consistency reliability, (3) tests for measurement invariance by age (youth vs. adults) and sex, and (4) examines its predictive power for past-year psychiatric disorders.
Method: Youth aged 15 to 19 years (n = 2010) and adults aged 20 to 64 years (n = 2010) from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health who completed the K6 were included. Past-year psychiatric disorders were measured using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 (WHO-CIDI). Polychoric correlation matrices and ordinal reliability coefficients were calculated to assess internal consistency of the K6, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to test for measurement invariance. Area under the curves (AUCs) were computed to determine the extent to which the K6 predicted a positive screen on the WHO-CIDI.
Results: K6 scores showed a J-shaped distribution, with >50% of youth having scores ≤3. Item and total scores were higher for females versus males. Item correlations were robust (0.31-0.78) and internal consistency was high (α = 0.86). Full measurement invariance was demonstrated between youth and adults, as well as between male and female youth. The K6 was a strong predictor of major depressive episode (AUC = 0.848), generalized anxiety disorder (AUC = 0.847), and bipolar disorder (AUC = 0.853).
Conclusions: The K6 is a valid and reliable measure of psychological distress among youth. Its brevity and robust predictive power for psychiatric disorder confirm its utility in clinical and community settings to identify youth needing comprehensive psychiatric assessment.
Objectif :: Cette étude: (1) décrit la distribution des scores à l’échelle de détresse psychologique de Kessler (K6) dans un échantillon épidémiologique d’adolescents; (2) rend compte des corrélations de ses items et de la fiabilité de la cohérence interne; (3) vérifie l’invariance de la mesure selon l’âge (adolescents c. adultes) et le sexe; et (4) examine son pouvoir de prédiction des troubles psychiatriques de l’année précédente.
Méthode :: Des adolescents de 15 à 19 ans (n = 2010) et des adultes de 20 à 64 ans (n = 2010) de l’Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes–Santé mentale qui ont répondu à la K6 ont été inclus. Les troubles psychiatriques de l’année précédente ont été mesurés à l’aide de l’Entrevue composite diagnostique internationale de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé 3.0 (WHO-CIDI). Les matrices des corrélations polychoriques et les coefficients de fiabilité ordinaux ont été calculés pour évaluer la cohérence interne de la K6, et l’analyse factorielle confirmatoire a servi à vérifier l’invariance de la mesure. Les zones sous la courbe (ZSC) ont été calculées pour déterminer à quel degré la K6 prédisait un dépistage positif à la WHO-CIDI.
Résultats :: Les scores à la K6 présentaient une distribution en forme de J, et >50% des adolescents avaient des scores ≤3. Les scores des items et totaux étaient plus élevés chez les femmes que chez les hommes. Les corrélations des items étaient fortes (0,31-0,78) et la cohérence interne était élevée (α = 0,86). L’invariance complète de la mesure était démontrée entre les adolescents et les adultes, ainsi qu’entre les adolescents et les adolescentes. La K6 prédisait fortement l’épisode dépressif majeur (ZSC = 0,848), le trouble d’anxiété généralisée (ZSC = 0,847), et le trouble bipolaire (ZSC = 0,853).
Conclusions :: La K6 est une mesure valide et fiable de la détresse psychologique chez les adolescents. Sa concision et son fort pouvoir de prédiction des troubles psychiatriques en confirment l’utilité en milieu clinique et communautaire pour repérer les adolescents nécessitant une évaluation psychiatrique complète.
Keywords: adolescent; measurement; mental disorder; mental health; validity.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was conducted using data collected by Statistics Canada. However, the analyses presented here were conducted by the author and the interpretations presented in this paper do not reflect the interpretations or opinions of Statistics Canada. Dr. Ferro serves on the editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
Figures
Figure 1.
Distribution and cumulative prevalence of K6 scores.
Figure 2.
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the K6 and past-year mental disorder (full sample). (A) Major depressive episode, (B) generalized anxiety disorder, (C) bipolar disorder, and (D) any mental disorder.
Figure 3.
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the K6 and past-year mental disorder (males). (A) Major depressive episode, (B) generalized anxiety disorder, (C) bipolar disorder, and (D) any mental disorder.
Figure 4.
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the K6 and past-year mental disorder (females). (A) Major depressive episode, (B) generalized anxiety disorder, (C) bipolar disorder, and (D) any mental disorder.
Comment in
- L'importance du choix de présentation de l'information numérique.
Marleau JD. Marleau JD. Can J Psychiatry. 2021 Mar;66(3):319-320. doi: 10.1177/0706743720935649. Epub 2020 Aug 12. Can J Psychiatry. 2021. PMID: 32783459 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
Similar articles
- Adaptation and validation of short scales for assessment of psychological distress in Iran: The Persian K10 and K6.
Hajebi A, Motevalian A, Amin-Esmaeili M, Rahimi-Movaghar A, Sharifi V, Hoseini L, Shadloo B, Mojtabai R. Hajebi A, et al. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018 Sep;27(3):e1726. doi: 10.1002/mpr.1726. Epub 2018 Jun 11. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018. PMID: 29888523 Free PMC article. - The performance of the K10, K6 and GHQ-12 to screen for present state DSM-IV disorders among disability claimants.
Cornelius BL, Groothoff JW, van der Klink JJ, Brouwer S. Cornelius BL, et al. BMC Public Health. 2013 Feb 12;13:128. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-128. BMC Public Health. 2013. PMID: 23402478 Free PMC article. - The psychometric properties of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) in a general population sample of adolescents.
Mewton L, Kessler RC, Slade T, Hobbs MJ, Brownhill L, Birrell L, Tonks Z, Teesson M, Newton N, Chapman C, Allsop S, Hides L, McBride N, Andrews G. Mewton L, et al. Psychol Assess. 2016 Oct;28(10):1232-1242. doi: 10.1037/pas0000239. Epub 2015 Nov 30. Psychol Assess. 2016. PMID: 26619095 Clinical Trial. - A life-course and time perspective on the construct validity of psychological distress in women and men. Measurement invariance of the K6 across gender.
Drapeau A, Beaulieu-Prévost D, Marchand A, Boyer R, Préville M, Kairouz S. Drapeau A, et al. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2010 Jul 21;10:68. doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-10-68. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2010. PMID: 20663128 Free PMC article. - Internal consistency and temporal stability of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE): A reliability generalization meta-analysis.
Villacura-Herrera C, Pérez J, Jones PB, Núñez D. Villacura-Herrera C, et al. Psychiatry Res. 2024 Aug;338:115988. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115988. Epub 2024 May 28. Psychiatry Res. 2024. PMID: 38850889 Review.
Cited by
- Examining temporal trends in psychological distress and the co-occurrence of common substance use in a population-based sample of grade 7-12 students from 2013 to 2019.
Halladay J, Sunderland M, Chapman C, Repchuck R, Georgiades K, Boak A, Hamilton HA, Slade T. Halladay J, et al. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2024 Aug;59(8):1367-1377. doi: 10.1007/s00127-024-02619-z. Epub 2024 Feb 5. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2024. PMID: 38311705 Free PMC article. - Approaches for measuring cumulative childhood adversity: A study of youth from 5 sub-Saharan African countries.
Gilbert LK, Matthews S, Dube SR, Annor FB. Gilbert LK, et al. Child Abuse Negl. 2024 Apr;150:106542. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106542. Epub 2023 Nov 22. Child Abuse Negl. 2024. PMID: 37996356 - Association between childhood adversities and premature and potentially avoidable mortality in adulthood: a population-based study.
Bhattarai A, Dimitropoulos G, Bulloch AGM, Tough SC, Patten SB. Bhattarai A, et al. BMC Public Health. 2023 Oct 18;23(1):2036. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16935-7. BMC Public Health. 2023. PMID: 37853382 Free PMC article. - Heavy social media use and psychological distress among adolescents: the moderating role of sex, age, and parental support.
Mougharbel F, Chaput JP, Sampasa-Kanyinga H, Hamilton HA, Colman I, Leatherdale ST, Goldfield GS. Mougharbel F, et al. Front Public Health. 2023 Jun 15;11:1190390. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190390. eCollection 2023. Front Public Health. 2023. PMID: 37397708 Free PMC article. - Study protocol of the Our Futures Vaping Trial: a cluster randomised controlled trial of a school-based eHealth intervention to prevent e-cigarette use among adolescents.
Gardner LA, Rowe AL, Stockings E, Champion KE, Hides L, McBride N, Allsop S, O'Dean S, Sunderland M, Lee YY, Mihalopoulos C, Freeman B, Leung J, McRobbie H, Stapinski L, Lee N, Thornton L, Debenham J, Teesson M, Newton NC. Gardner LA, et al. BMC Public Health. 2023 Apr 12;23(1):683. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-15609-8. BMC Public Health. 2023. PMID: 37046211 Free PMC article.
References
- Kessler RC, Andrews G, Colpe LJ. et al. Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med. 2002;32(6):959–976. - PubMed
- Chan SM, Fung TCT. Reliability and validity of K10 and K6 in screening depressive symptoms in Hong Kong adolescents. Vulnerable Child Youth Stud. 2014;9:75–85.
- Mewton L, Kessler RC, Slade T. et al. The psychometric properties of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) in a general population sample of adolescents. Psychol Assess. 2016;28(10):1232–1242. - PubMed
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous