Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)

The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a widely utilized, 10-item self-report measure designed to screen for non-specific psychological distress…

Questions: 10
Duration: 2 min
Original title: Échelle de détresse psychologique de Kessler (K10)
Adaptation: Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)
Authors: Kessler, R.C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L.J., et al.
Created: 2002

The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a widely utilized, 10-item self-report measure designed to screen for non-specific psychological distress in adult populations. Originally developed for public health monitoring, it has become a standard clinical tool to identify the presence and severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms over a four-week recall period, providing key insights into the foundations of psychological wellbeing.

For mental health clinicians, the K10 offers a reliable, low-burden method to establish a baseline of generalized emotional distress during intake. Because it captures acute symptom frequency rather than stable personality traits, it is highly sensitive to clinical change. This makes it an excellent repeated measure to track the effectiveness of coping skills over time. When integrated into regular assessments, it helps practitioners quickly gauge symptom fluctuations, offering a numeric anchor alongside qualitative clinical impressions.

Example result

Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.

Overall score

30/ 50

The K10 scale is a 10-item self-report questionnaire that measures non-specific psychological distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) in adults. It assesses the frequency of these symptoms over the past 4 weeks and is used as a screening tool to identify individuals who may require further evaluation.

10–19

Likely to be well

20–24

Likely to have a mild disorder

25–29

Likely to have a moderate disorder

30–50

Likely to have a severe disorder

Score band identifying individuals likely to have a severe mental disorder.

généralemixed · community sample · Australia · n = 8841 · Slade et al. (2011)

1050

M = 14.5

For information

Cut-off≥ 20Psychiatric disorder screening

Likely to meet diagnostic criteria for a psychiatric disorder. Scores of 20 plus had a sensitivity to Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymia, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Social Phobia ranging from 0.78 to 1.

Donker et al. (2010)

Scoring

Sum, total score from 10 to 50, each item is scored on a 5-point scale (from 1 to 5).

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What the test measures

The K10 measures generalized, non-specific psychological distress, capturing core features along the anxiety-depression spectrum rather than yielding a discrete diagnosis. It evaluates how intensely emotions drive behavior by assessing these distinct dimensions:

Fatigue: Experiencing unexplained exhaustion or perceiving everyday tasks as requiring excessive effort.
Anxiety: Feelings of nervousness, internal tension, and an inability to be calmed.
Agitation: Motor restlessness, fidgetiness, and the physical inability to sit still, often linked to rigid avoidance, checking, and control cycles.
Depression: Pervasive feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness that do not respond to external reassurance.

This instrument is intended for adults and adolescents capable of self-reporting their recent emotional states, making it a staple in both primary care and specialized psychological practices.

When and why to use it

Clinicians deploy the K10 primarily to screen for distress severity and to monitor the trajectory of affective symptoms throughout the course of therapy.

Intake baseline: Establishing an initial measure of symptom burden before teaching foundational emotion regulation skills.
Monitoring change: Re-administering the scale at regular intervals to verify whether the therapeutic intervention is reducing global distress over time.
Screening and triage: Using validated cut-offs to estimate severity and determine if a patient requires immediate crisis coping strategies or specialized psychiatric evaluation.
Differential support: Highlighting specific symptom clusters, such as prominent agitation versus profound fatigue, to tailor the treatment focus.

A validated K10 score enhances standard clinical observation by quantifying distress severity in a standardized format, ensuring that subtle shifts in a patient's emotional burden are not missed between sessions.

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The questions

The following questions are about how you have felt over the past month. For each question, please check the box that best corresponds to your situation.
1. Over the last month, how often did you feel: tired out for no good reason?
Evaluates the presence of unexplained physical or psychological fatigue.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time
2. Over the last month, how often did you feel: nervous?
Assesses the frequency of generalized anxiety and internal tension.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time
3. Over the last month, how often did you feel: so nervous that nothing could calm you down?
Probes the severity and unmanageability of anxiety symptoms.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time
4. Over the last month, how often did you feel: hopeless?
Screens for the cognitive dimension of depression characterized by a lack of future-oriented optimism.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time
5. Over the last month, how often did you feel: restless or fidgety?
Measures the behavioral expression of agitation and internal discomfort.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time
6. Over the last month, how often did you feel: so restless you could not sit still?
Captures severe motor restlessness and the inability to physically relax.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time
7. Over the last month, how often did you feel: sad or depressed?
Directly inquires about pervasive feelings of low mood.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time
8. Over the last month, how often did you feel: so depressed that nothing could cheer you up?
Probes for deep-seated sadness that is unresponsive to positive external stimuli.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time
9. Over the last month, how often did you feel: that everything was an effort?
Evaluates the subjective burden of daily functioning and psychomotor retardation.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time
10. Over the last month, how often did you feel: worthless?
Assesses self-deprecating cognitions and loss of self-esteem associated with depression.
- None of the time
- A little of the time
- Some of the time
- Most of the time
- All of the time