Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)
A 10-item self-report of non-specific psychological distress over the past 4 weeks. Each item asks how often you felt a certain way. Higher totals indicate greater distress. Administer under clinician oversight.
This is a clinical instrument. It is not publicly self-administered — a clinician assigns it through a secure patient link.
At a glance
What it measures
The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler et al., 2002) is a 10-item measure of non-specific psychological distress — how often the respondent felt nervous, hopeless, restless, and similar states over the past four weeks — developed for population surveillance of distress.
Totals run 10–50 and are read against the interpretation bands of Andrews and Slade (2001) shown in the scoring section: under 20 likely well, 20–24 mild, 25–29 moderate, and 30 and above severe distress.
Psychometric properties
The notes below are reproduced from the platform's psychometrics register for this instrument — the same source-cited reliability, validity, and norms text that accompanies its downloadable report.
Strong internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha around 0.93 (Kessler et al., 2002; Andrews & Slade, 2001).
Good discrimination of DSM-IV mood and anxiety disorders (area under the curve about 0.87-0.88); severity bands fall at totals of 20, 25, and 30 (Andrews & Slade, 2001).
Calibrated on the Australian National Health Survey and widely used in population mental-health surveillance.
Example item
“tired out for no good reason?”
Illustrative only. During administration items are presented one screen-set at a time; response-key direction is never shown to respondents.
Scoring & interpretation
Item responses are summed to a total score and compared against published screening cutoffs.
| Band | Threshold | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Likely to be well | ≥ 10 | Total below 20 indicates the person is likely to be well. |
| Mild distress | ≥ 20 | Total of 20–24 indicates a mild level of psychological distress. |
| Moderate distress | ≥ 25 | Total of 25–29 indicates a moderate level of psychological distress. |
| Severe distress | ≥ 30 | Total of 30–50 indicates a severe level of psychological distress. |
Source & citation
Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., et al. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959–976.
Scoring. Bands per 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 (<20 likely well, 20–24 mild, 25–29 moderate, 30–50 severe).
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) © World Health Organization. Free for clinical and research use; a commercial-use grey area applies — do not imply commercial clearance.
References
- Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., et al. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959-976.
- 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.