Overview

This is a 10-item questionnaire that yields a global measure of distress (eliciting both anxiety and depressive symptoms) that has been validated in various cultural settings.¹

Scoring and Interpretation

The scale has a possible score range of 10 to 50, with five response options ranging from ‘none of the time’ (1) to ‘All of the time’ (5). Score range 10-50 with higher scores indicating more psychological distress. The recall period is 30 days, eliciting symptoms across the distress spectrum (e.g., how often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down?’ and ‘about how often did you feel hopeless?’ There are locally validated cut offs indicating likelihood of having a mental disorder.

This is only a screening instrument.

Citation

Kessler, Ronald, and Daniel Mroczek. 1994. "Final versions of our non-specific psychological distress scale." Ann Arbor, MI: Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.

Context and Applications to Child Nutrition

Global

Adaptations

N/A

Formative Research 

N/A