The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) as a Screening Instrument: a Study of Iranian University Students

Abstract

The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) provides a brief diagnostic measure for psychological distress. The aim of the present study was to study the validity and usefulness of the K6 as a screening instrument for psychiatric problems in a non-clinical sample of Iranian university students. A convenience sample of 157 Iranian volunteer students was selected from the Medical School in the Iran University of Medical Sciences. The students completed the K6 Scale and the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90-R). The mean score for the K6 was 9.39 (SD=5.48). Cronbach’s α was 0.87. K6 scores correlated 0.62 with the SCL-90-R Anxiety score (ANX), and 0.77 with the Depression score (DEP). K6 items loaded on a single factor labeled: Psychological Distress. The K6, therefore, had adequate psychometric properties and appears to be useful for screening non-clinical samples for the presence of psychiatric problems.