Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) Assessment

Introduction:

Psychological distress combines feelings of nervousness, hopelessness, restlessness, depression, effortfulness, and worthlessness into a measurable mental-health signal. The six-question Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, or K6, translates personal frequency ratings of these feelings from the past month into a single 0–24 index that research links to probable serious mental illness and has been validated across diverse populations.

This self-administered tool asks you to rate each symptom from “none of the time” to “all of the time”, instantly sums the six responses, and places the total inside a colour-coded gauge. A reactive engine renders the progress bar and result badge in real time, while a charting layer illustrates your overall severity band.

You might use the K6 on a stressful workday to check whether lingering tension warrants extra self-care, lifestyle adjustments, or a professional conversation with a counselor. Screenings should guide reflection, not replace thorough evaluation. This assessment offers information only — it cannot diagnose conditions nor substitute for qualified mental-health advice.

Technical Details:

Concept Overview

The Kessler-6 (K6) is a brief distress screener developed to identify individuals at risk of serious mental illness in population surveys. Each question captures the self-reported frequency of a negative emotional state during the past thirty days, scored 0–4. Summing the six items yields a continuous 0–24 total that correlates strongly with structured clinical interviews, predicts functional impairment, supports cross-cultural comparability, and offers high internal reliability across socio-economic groups and age spans.

Core Equation

$$\mathrm{TotalScore}=\sum _{i=1}^6{R}_i{R}_i\in \{0,1,2,3,4\}$$

Interpretation

Totals map to four severity bands: Low (0–7), Mild (8–12), Moderate (13–18), and Severe (19–24). Higher bands suggest increasing likelihood of serious mental illness and greater functional impairment.

Variables & Parameters

• R_i – rating for symptom i, integer 0–4.
• TotalScore – sum of the six ratings, range 0–24.
• SeverityBand – categorical label derived from TotalScore.

Assumptions & Limitations

• Self-report accuracy depends on honest reflection.
• Scale captures distress, not specific disorders.
• Cut-offs were derived from population norms, not individual baselines.
• Results may differ across cultures despite validation studies.

Edge Cases & Error Sources

• All zeros can still coexist with subclinical symptoms.
• All fours may reflect transient crisis rather than chronic illness.
• Incomplete answers prevent scoring.
• Repeated administration within days can introduce response habituation.

Scientific Validity & References

Kessler RC et al. (2002), Prochaska JJ (2012), and Easton SD (2017) discuss the scale’s psychometric properties, optimal cut-offs, and cultural adaptations.

Privacy & Compliance

This assessment processes sensitive mental-health data entirely within your browser and aligns with privacy frameworks such as GDPR.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Follow these steps to complete the K6 assessment confidently.

1. Press Start Assessment to load the questionnaire.
2. For each statement, choose a frequency from None of the time to All of the time.
3. Watch the progress bar fill; unanswered items remain highlighted.
4. After the last response, read your TotalScore and SeverityBand on the gauge.
5. Review the answered-questions table or retake the screen if needed.

FAQ:

Glossary:

K6

Six-item measure of psychological distress.

Distress

Combined emotional strain reflected in negative feelings.

Severity Band

Category indicating distress range.

Likert Scale

Ordered response format from 0 to 4.

Screening

Preliminary check suggesting need for evaluation.