Cited by 146Mental Health Treatment and AccessAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychometric Methodologies and Testing

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The Distress Questionnaire-5: Population screener for psychological distress was more accurate than the K6/K10

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Batterham, Philip J., Sunderland, Matthew, Carragher, Natacha, Calear, Alison L., Mackinnon, Andrew J., Slade, Tim·2016·Journal of Clinical Epidemiology

DOI 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2015.10.005

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Abstract

Objective The K6 and K10 are well-validated screening measures for psychological distress and are widely used. However, the accuracy of these scales in identifying common mental disorders may be suboptimal. This study aimed to develop a brief scale of psychological distress--the Distress Questionnaire-5 (DQ5)--and validate its diagnostic accuracy in identifying common mental disorders, relative to the K6 and K10.Study design and setting The DQ5 was developed from a pool of 347 items reflecting a range of mental health symptoms. Validation of the DQ5 was conducted concurrently, on the basis of DSM-5 criteria for seven common mental disorders. A population-based sample of Australian adults (n = 3,175) was recruited online, with data weighted to reflect population estimates of disorder prevalence, age, and gender.Results At specified cut points, the DQ5 was significantly more accurate in identifying individuals who met criteria for each of the disorders examined relative to the K6, with the exception of major depression where there was no significant difference in sensitivity or specificity.Conclusion The DQ5 is a promising tool for identifying psychological distress in the community, with potential for use in a range of clinical settings.

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Authors: Batterham, P. J., Sunderland, M., Carragher, N., Calear, A. L., Mackinnon, A. J., & Slade, T.
Affiliations: Australian National University (AU)
UNSW Sydney (AU)
The University of Melbourne (AU)
Corresponding author: Batterham, Philip J.
ORCID: Batterham, Philip J.
Sunderland, Matthew
Carragher, Natacha
Calear, Alison L.
Mackinnon, Andrew J.
Slade, Tim
Venue: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2016-03
Volume: 71
Pages: 35-42
ISSN: 0895-4356 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2015.10.005
OpenAlex: W2177427600
Cited by: 146
References: 24
Citations by year: 2026: 12 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 3
FWCI: 7.65
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
handle.unsw.edu.au
Licence: cc-by-nc-nd
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
UNSWorks (UNSW Sydney) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
UNSWorks (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders: National Institute for Health and Care Research
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Mental Health
Topics: Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
Keywords: psychological distress, K6, K10, common mental disorders, diagnostic accuracy, screening tool, major depressive disorder, sensitivity and specificity, DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, community mental health
MeSH terms: Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Australia, Mental Disorders, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, ROC Curve, Sensitivity and Specificity, Stress, Psychological, Reproducibility of Results, Young Adult

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The Distress Questionnaire-5: Population screener for psychological distress was more accurate than the K6/K10

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