Validation of Kessler's psychological distress scale among the Sinhalese population in Sri Lanka

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Kessler's psychological distress scales, KlO and K6 are short rating scales designed to screen psychiatric morbidity in the population. Despite being increasingly popular elsewhere, they have not been validated in Sri Lanka. We examined the validity of these scales among the Sinhala speaking population in the Gampaha district of Sri Lanka. DESIGN: The English language version of the KiD and K6 questionnaire were translated into Sinhala using standard methods. The KiD and K6 scores for 27 healthy and 37 psychiatrically ill individuals were compared with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM disorders (SClD) outcome categories. RESULTS: The KiD and K6 were sensitive and specific in detecting mental illness, especially depression. Those with schizophrenia had scores similar to healthy individuals. We suggest cut offs of 12 for KiD and 7 for K6 having 9D% sensitivity and 81% specificity for both scales. INTERPRETATION: KiD and K6 are valid screening tools for non-psychotic psychiatric illness among the Sinhala speaking population in Sri Lanka. They can be used in psychiatric epidemiological studies.