title: The psychometric properties of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) in a general population sample of adolescents.
abstract: The 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6; Kessler et al., 2002) is a screener for psychological distress that has robust psychometric properties among adults. Given that a significant proportion of adolescents experience mental illness, there is a need for measures that accurately and reliably screen for mental disorders in this age group. This study examined the psychometric properties of the K6 in a large general population sample of adolescents (N = 4,434; mean age = 13.5 years; 44.6% male). Factor analyses were conducted to examine the dimensionality of the K6 in adolescents and to investigate sex-based measurement invariance. This study also evaluated the K6 as a predictor of scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997). The K6 demonstrated high levels of internal consistency, with the 6 items loading primarily on 1 factor. Consistent with previous research, females reported higher mean levels of psychological distress when compared with males. The identification of sex-based measurement noninvariance in the item thresholds indicated that these mean differences most likely represented reporting bias in the K6 items rather than true differences in the underlying psychological distress construct. The K6 was a fair to good predictor of abnormal scores on the SDQ, but predictive utility was relatively low among males. Future research needs to focus on refining and augmenting the K6 scale to maximize its utility in adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, St Vincent's Hospital, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mewton
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School.
authors.forename: Ronald C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.affiliation: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Slade
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, St Vincent's Hospital, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Megan J
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0131-0089
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hobbs
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, St Vincent's Hospital, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brownhill
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Birrell
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Zoe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tonks
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Maree
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teesson
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Cath
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.affiliation: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allsop
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, Queensland University of Technology.
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hides
authors.affiliation: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University.
authors.forename: Nyanda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, St Vincent's Hospital, University of New South Wales.
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andrews
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires