K10
Summary and structure
The K10 (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale) is a brief self-report questionnaire that measures non-specific psychological distress. It was developed by Ronald C. Kessler and colleagues for the US National Health Interview Survey and is used in population health surveys and clinical settings worldwide.
The ten items ask how often the respondent has felt, for example, nervous, hopeless, restless, depressed or worthless during the past 30 days. Each item is answered on a five-point scale from “none of the time” (1) to “all of the time” (5). The total score ranges from 10 to 50, with higher scores indicating greater distress.
Cut-off scores are typically interpreted as follows:
10–15 = low distress
16–21 = moderate distress
22–29 = high distress
30–50 = very high distress
These bands follow Andrews & Slade (2001). The short form K6 uses six of the ten items.
Key Data
Age group: Adults (≥18 years)
Completion time: about 2–3 minutes
Languages in SwissDTx: English, German
Intended Use
The K10 is used to screen for psychological distress in primary care, psychotherapy, occupational health and research, and to identify people who may need further assessment. It is not tied to a single diagnosis, which makes it a useful general entry screener.
Because it is short and sensitive to change, the K10 is well suited to repeated measurement in blended care, for example at the start of treatment and at regular intervals.
Information for Practitioners
The K10 measures distress, not a specific disorder. High scores should lead to a clinical assessment, which may include more specific instruments such as the PHQ-9 or GAD-7.
In SwissDTx, the total score and distress band are calculated automatically and shown over time in the Care Cockpit. Every completion ends with a support card that lists emergency numbers.
Authors
Ronald C. Kessler
Gavin Andrews
Lisa J. Colpe
Daniel K. Mroczek
Sharon-Lise T. Normand
Ellen E. Walters
Alan M. Zaslavsky
Scientific References
Kessler R.C., Andrews G., Colpe L.J., Hiripi E., Mroczek D.K., Normand S.L.T., 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
Kessler R.C., Barker P.R., Colpe L.J., Epstein J.F., Gfroerer J.C., Hiripi E., et al. (2003). Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60(2), 184–189. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.2.184
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
Licence
Copyright © Ronald C. Kessler, PhD. All rights reserved. The K10 and its translations are free to use and do not require formal permission, provided the copyright is acknowledged and Kessler et al. (2003) is cited.