Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10 (K10)
Also known as: K10, K6, Kessler Scale
The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10 (K10) is a 10-item self-report measure of non-specific psychological distress and mental health problems. Developed by Kessler and colleagues in 2002, the K10 was designed as an ultra-brief screening instrument for population surveys and epidemiological research. A shorter 6-item version (K6) is also widely used for rapid case identification.
Read the full method
Sign in with a free account to read this section.
Method map
The neighbourhood of related methods — select a node to explore.
+1 more
When to use it
The K10 is ideal for rapid screening in population surveys, public health surveillance, primary care, and community mental health programs. Its brevity makes it valuable for telephone surveys and online screening. The K10 is less suitable for detailed clinical assessment but excels at case finding and population-level need estimation. It is standard in Australian and other national health surveys.
Strengths & limitations
- Ultra-brief 10-item format enables implementation in large-scale surveys with minimal respondent burden
- Strong psychometric properties with high sensitivity for detecting psychological distress across populations
- Translations available in 30+ languages, facilitating international surveillance and epidemiological research
- Widely used in national health surveys (e.g., Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being), enabling population-level comparisons
- Measures non-specific distress, not specific diagnoses; elevated scores do not indicate depression vs. anxiety vs. other conditions
- Single-dimension approach loses the clinical information provided by multi-subscale instruments
- Self-report bias and 30-day recall period may be prone to recency and mood-dependent effects
Frequently asked
What is the difference between K10 and K6?
The K10 has 10 items; the K6 has 6 items. Both measure non-specific psychological distress. K6 is faster (1 minute) and is used when ultra-brief screening is essential; K10 provides slightly more detail. Cutoff scores differ between the two versions.
What K10 score indicates a probable mental health disorder?
A K10 score of 22 or above suggests probable psychological disorder. Scores 30+ indicate severe distress and high priority for clinical evaluation. However, the K10 does not specify the type of disorder; clinical assessment is required.
Can the K10 be used to distinguish depression from anxiety?
No. The K10 measures general, non-specific psychological distress without distinguishing between depression, anxiety, and stress. For differential diagnosis, use multi-dimensional measures like the DASS-21.
Is the K10 suitable for repeated measurement during treatment?
The K10 is less sensitive to fine-grained changes than longer, multi-dimensional instruments. For tracking treatment progress, consider supplementing K10 with more detailed measures (DASS-21, PHQ-9, GAD-7).
Sources
- Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. Y., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D. K., Normand, S. L., ... & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959-976. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291702006074 ↗
- Furukawa, T. A., Kessler, R. C., Slade, T., & Andrews, G. (2003). The performance of the K6 and K10 screening scales for psychological distress in the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. Psychological Medicine, 33(2), 357-362. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291702006700 ↗
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10 (K10). ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/clinical-psychology/k10-kessler
Which method?
Set this method beside its closest kin and read them side by side — the library lays the books on the table; the choice is yours.
- Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression ScaleClinical Psychology↔ compare
- Depression Anxiety Stress ScalesClinical Psychology↔ compare
- General Health QuestionnaireClinical Psychology↔ compare
- Hospital Anxiety and Depression ScaleClinical Psychology↔ compare
- Satisfaction with Life ScaleClinical Psychology↔ compare