Cited by 378Mental Health and PsychiatryPsychology and Mental HealthPsychometric Methodologies and Testing

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 40 of the 41 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Measurement for a Human Science

Mirowsky, John, Ross, Catherine E.·2002·Journal of Health and Social Behavior

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

This paper argues a number of points about measurement in the sociology of mental health: (1) measurement is critical, (2) measures should represent and assess elements of human experience, taking measure of life as people feel it, sense it, and understand it, and (3) social scientists should create a human science, producing information for the people it studies so that they can better understand and control their own lives. We argue that a human science is best achieved with the use of indexes, not diagnoses, to measure mental health. We present a brief history of diagnostic instruments and detail how a diagnosis is made. We show how use of diagnoses to measure mental health discounts much human suffering. They dichotomize the true range of feelings and emotions into crude either/or distinctions that do not reflect the reality of people's lives, and they often exclude suffering such as that due to loss or illness that does not meet medical model preconceptions about mental disorder. Using diagnoses to measure mental health presents a reified image of hidden disease knowable and manageable only by trained professionals--beyond the capacity of the suffering individuals to understand and control.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.2307/3090194

Cites

40 of 40 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Williams, J. B. W., & First, M. B. (2013) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.104 · Cited by 109,845
The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population
Radloff, L. S. (1977) · Applied Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/014662167700100306 · Cited by 53,267
Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research.
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E., Guze, S. B., Woodruff, R. A., Winokur, G., & Munoz, R. A. (1972) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1972.01750190059011 · Cited by 5,491
The Composite International Diagnostic Interview: An Epidemiologic Instrument Suitable for Use in Conjunction With Different Diagnostic Systems and in Different Cultures
Robins, L. N. (1988) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1988.01800360017003 · Cited by 2,909
The Cost of Dichotomization
Cohen, J. (1983) · Applied Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/014662168300700301 · Cited by 1,564
Social causes of psychological distress
Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (1990) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.27-4163 · Cited by 1,043
Self-citation
A Twenty-Two Item Screening Score of Psychiatric Symptoms Indicating Impairment
Langner, T. S. (1962) · Journal of Health and Human Behavior · doi:10.2307/2948599 · Cited by 912
Affective Disorders in a US Urban Community
Weissman, M. M. (1978) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1978.01770350030002 · Cited by 642
The Stress Process and the Social Distribution of Depression
Turner, R. J., & Lloyd, D. A. (1999) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/2676332 · Cited by 597
Exclusion Criteria of DSM-III
Boyd, J. H. (1984) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1984.01790210065008 · Cited by 543

Show all 41 references

Sorted by citations

A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health Second Edition
Scheid, T. L., & Brown, T. N. (2009) · Cited by 1,320
Current Issues and Future Directions in Research into the Stress Process
Pearlin, L. I., & Bierman, A. (2013) · Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_16 · Cited by 622
Health effects of employment: a systematic review of prospective studies
van der Noordt, M., IJzelenberg, H., Droomers, M., & Proper, K. I. (2014) · Occupational and Environmental Medicine · doi:10.1136/oemed-2013-101891 · Cited by 539
Gender and Mental Health
Rosenfield, S., & Mouzon, D. M. (2012) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_14 · Cited by 592
Adolescent Mental Health, Behavior Problems, and Academic Achievement
McLeod, J., Uemura, R., & Rohrman, S. (2012) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/0022146512462888 · Cited by 350
“Our results demonstrate that even if distinct from “distress,” substance use and delinquency are important components of the complex problems youth experience in the real world (Mirowsky and Ross 2002) and that they have profound social consequences.”
Marital Transitions and Mental Health
Wade, T. J., & Pevalin, D. J. (2004) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/002214650404500203 · Cited by 353
Labeling and Stigma
Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (2012) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_25 · Cited by 314
Despair by Association? The Mental Health of Mothers with Children by Recently Incarcerated Fathers
Wildeman, C., Schnittker, J., & Turney, K. (2012) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.1177/0003122411436234 · Cited by 282
“It’s the skin you’re in”: African-American women talk about their experiences of racism. An exploratory study to develop measures of racism for birth outcome studies
Nuru-Jeter, A., Dominguez, T. P., Hammond, W. P., Leu, J., Skaff, M., Egerter, S., Jones, C. P., & Braveman, P. (2009) · Maternal and Child Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10995-008-0357-x · Cited by 268
Employee work status, mental health, substance use, and career turnover intentions: An examination of restaurant employees during COVID-19
Bufquin, D., Park, J., Back, R. M., Meira, J. V. D. S., & Hight, S. K. (2020) · International Journal of Hospitality Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102764 · Cited by 204
“…life (the eudaimonic perspective) (Deci and Ryan, 2008); while psychological distress is largely defined as a state of emotional suffering characterized by symptoms of depression (e.g., lost interest; sadness; hopelessness) and anxiety (e.g., restlessness; feeling tense) (Mirowsky and Ross, 2002).”
Background
Unplanned pregnancy and subsequent psychological distress in partnered women: a cross-sectional study of the role of relationship quality and wider social support
Barton, K., Redshaw, M., QUIGLEY, M. A., & Carson, C. (2017) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1223-x · Cited by 192
Outcomes in the Sociology of Mental Health and Illness: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?
Horwitz, A. V. (2002) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/3090193 · Cited by 176
Mental Health, Mental Illness, and Psychological Distress: Same Continuum or Distinct Phenomena?∗
Payton, A. R. (2009) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/002214650905000207 · Cited by 167
Living Conditions and the Mental Health and Well-being of Refugees: Evidence from a Large-Scale German Survey
Walther, L., Fuchs, L. M., Schupp, J., & von Scheve, C. (2020) · Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health · doi:10.1007/s10903-019-00968-5 · Cited by 203
Psychological distress, perceived burden and quality of life in caregivers of persons with schizophrenia
Stanley, S., Balakrishnan, S., & Ilangovan, S. (2017) · Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.1080/09638237.2016.1276537 · Cited by 155
Prevalence and prognostic implications of psychological distress in patients with gastric cancer
Kim, G. M., Kim, S. J., Song, S. K., Kim, H. R., Kang, B. D., Noh, S. H., Chung, H. C., Kim, K. R., & Rha, S. Y. (2017) · BMC Cancer · doi:10.1186/s12885-017-3260-2 · Cited by 150
“Psychological distress is generally defined as a state of emotional suffering characterized by symptoms of depression and anxiety [1].”
Background
Academic Stress, Academic Self-efficacy, and Psychological Distress: A Moderated Mediation of Within-person Effects
Kristensen, S. M., Larsen, T. B., Urke, H. B., & Danielsen, A. G. (2023) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1007/s10964-023-01770-1 · Cited by 230
“…and school-related worry (Sweeting et al., 2010), impacts psychological distress (i.e. symptoms of anxiety and depression: Drapeau et al., 2012; Mirowsky & Ross, 2002) (Torsheim & Wold, 2001) over and beyond previous depressive symptoms (Murberg & Bru, 2005) on an interpersonal, between-person…”
Background
The Sex Difference in Depression Across 29 Countries
Hopcroft, R. L., & Bradley, D. B. (2007) · Social Forces · doi:10.1353/sof.2007.0071 · Cited by 164
“This is by no means a diagnosis of clinical depression, nor is it a full index of the symptoms of depression, but an indicator of one of the symptoms of depression that is included in the majority of diagnostic instruments and indices of depression (Mirowsky and Ross 2002).”
Background
Nosological Reflections
Whooley, O. (2014) · Society and Mental Health · doi:10.1177/2156869313519114 · Cited by 124
Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety and depression in primary care: a meta-analysis
Twomey, C., O’Reilly, G., & Byrne, M. (2015) · Family Practice · doi:10.1093/fampra/cmu060 · Cited by 123
Partner Stalking
Logan, T., & Walker, R. (2009) · Trauma Violence & Abuse · doi:10.1177/1524838009334461 · Cited by 119
Models of adjustment to chronic illness: Using the example of rheumatoid arthritis
Walker, J. G., Jackson, H. J., & Littlejohn, G. O. (2004) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2004.03.001 · Cited by 126
Types of social participation and psychological distress in Japanese older adults: A five-year cohort study
Amagasa, S., Fukushima, N., Kikuchi, H., Oka, K., Takamiya, T., Odagiri, Y., & Inoue, S. (2017) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0175392 · Cited by 118
Research in Mental Health: Social Etiology versus Social Consequences
Aneshensel, C. S. (2005) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/002214650504600301 · Cited by 109
“Other aspects of stratification studied within this tradition include race-ethnicity (Williams, Takeuchi, and Adair 1992; Jackson 1997), age (Mirowsky and Ross 1992; Schieman, Van Gundy, and Taylor 2001), and marital status (Barrett 2000; Simon 2002).”
Background
Pathways of disadvantage: Explaining the relationship between maternal depression and children’s problem behaviors
Turney, K. (2012) · Social Science Research · doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2012.06.003 · Cited by 106
The psychological impact of intragenerational social class mobility
Houle, J. N. (2011) · Social Science Research · doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2010.11.008 · Cited by 91
Maternal Depression and Childhood Health Inequalities
Turney, K. (2011) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/0022146511408096 · Cited by 100
Aging and Late-Life Depression
Wu, Z., Schimmele, C. M., & Chappell, N. L. (2011) · Journal of Aging and Health · doi:10.1177/0898264311422599 · Cited by 89
“There are concerns about whether such diagnostic-type measures are suitable for measuring social differences and age-related changes in depression (Mirowsky, 1994; Mirowsky & Ross, 2002; Kessler, 2002).”
Background
Labored love: Examining the link between maternal depression and parenting behaviors
Turney, K. (2011) · Social Science Research · doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2010.09.009 · Cited by 107
The Social Psychology of Stress, Health, and Coping
Carr, D., & Umberson, D. (2013) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_16 · Cited by 96
“…health found that women who gave birth to their fi rst child when they were younger than average (i.e., under age 23) evidenced more depressive symptoms than non- mothers, whereas women who had their fi rst child when they were older than age 23 evidenced fewer symptoms (Mirowsky & Ross, 2002b ).”
Background
Gender Socialization: Differences between Male and Female Youth in India and Associations with Mental Health
Ram, U., Strohschein, L., & Gaur, K. (2014) · International Journal of Population Research · doi:10.1155/2014/357145 · Cited by 85
“Scales better reflect the full spectrum of variation in mental health whereas arbitrary cut-offs lose important information [19].”
Background
The Stress Process: Its Origins, Evolution, and Future
Aneshensel, C. S., & Mitchell, U. A. (2014) · SpringerBriefs in sociology · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-07797-0_3 · Cited by 84
The Sociology of Mental Health: Surveying the Field
Aneshensel, C. S., Phelan, J. C., & Bierman, A. (2012) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_1 · Cited by 96
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for people with diabetes and emotional problems: long-term follow-up findings from the DiaMind randomized controlled trial
van Son, J., Nyklíček, I., Pop, V. J., Blonk, M. C., Erdtsieck, R. J., & Pouwer, F. (2014) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.03.013 · Cited by 82
“Emotional distress was the primary outcome, defined as symptoms of anxiety, depression and (diabetes-specific) stress [18].”
Background
Anxiety, depression and quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients and caregivers: an actor–partner interdependence model analysis
Ivziku, D., Clari, M., Piredda, M., Marinis, M. G. D., & Matarese, M. (2018) · Quality of Life Research · doi:10.1007/s11136-018-2024-z · Cited by 83
“Since the anxiety and depression symptoms’ scores were strongly correlated within persons, and both conditions define the status of psychological distress [47], they were included together in the analysis as predictors to control for”
Background
Chronic and Proximate Depression among Mothers: Implications for Child Well-Being.
Turney, K. (2011) · Journal of Marriage and the Family · doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00795.x · Cited by 91
“In addition, the dichotomous measure of depression does not allow for the possibility of taking into account mothers who do not meet the criteria for depression but still exhibit some symptoms (Mirowsky & Ross, 2002).”
BackgroundResult
Quality of and access to green space in relation to psychological distress: results from a population-based cross-sectional study as part of the EURO-URHIS 2 project
Pope, D. P., Tisdall, R., Middleton, J., Verma, A., van Ameijden, E., Birt, C., Macherianakis, A., & Bruce, N. (2015) · European Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckv094 · Cited by 96
Do Racial Differences in Coping Resources Explain the Black–White Paradox in Mental Health? A Test of Multiple Mechanisms
Louie, P., Upenieks, L., Erving, C. L., & Tobin, C. S. T. (2021) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/00221465211041031 · Cited by 80
“Furthermore, the depressive symptoms measure demonstrates the entire distribution of depression in the population (Mirowsky and Ross 2002), whereas the disorder measure reflects severe impairment and dysfunction beyond a given threshold (Horwitz 2007; Kessler 2002).”
Background
Gender, Aging and Widowhood
Carr, D., & Bodnar-Deren, S. M. (2009) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-8356-3_32 · Cited by 80
The twain meet: distress, disorder and the continuing conundrum of categories (comment on Horwitz)
Wheaton, B. (2007) · Health An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health Illness and Medicine · doi:10.1177/1363459307077545 · Cited by 79
Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System
Hiday, V. A., & Burns, P. J. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.029 · Cited by 79
Psychological Distress Across Sport Participation Groups: The Mediating Effects of Secondary Irrational Beliefs on the Relationship Between Primary Irrational Beliefs and Symptoms of Anxiety, Anger, and Depression
Turner, M. J., Carrington, S. C., & Miller, A. J. (2018) · Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology · doi:10.1123/jcsp.2017-0014 · Cited by 76
Adolescent survivors of childhood cancer: are they vulnerable for psychological distress?
Gianinazzi, M. E., Rueegg, C. S., Wengenroth, L., Bergsträßer, E., Rischewski, J. R., Ammann, R. A., Kuehni, C. E., Michel, G., & for Swiss Pediatric Oncology Group (SPOG) (2013) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.3249 · Cited by 75
“Adolescent survivors of childhood cancer may be particularly vulnerable to develop psychological distress, defined as a state of emotional suffering characterized by symptoms of depression and anxiety, which may be associated with somatic symptoms [1].”
Background
Psychological Approaches to Mental Illness
Peterson, C. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.008 · Cited by 77
A methodological note on modeling the effects of race: the case of psychological distress
Nuru‐Jeter, A., Williams, C. T., & LaVeist, T. A. (2008) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.1215 · Cited by 73
Factor Structure of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) Among Emerging Adults
Bessaha, M. L. (2015) · Research on Social Work Practice · doi:10.1177/1049731515594425 · Cited by 72
“Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students’ physical health, mental health and learning, a cross-sectional study including 917 students from eight universities in Germany”
Gewalt, S. C., Berger, S. J., Brinster, R., & Breuer, M. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0273928 · Cited by 79
“In contrast to mental health, mental or psychological distress is defined as a state of emotional distress or suffering characterized by symptoms of depression [11].”
Background
Marital Status and Mental Health
Williams, K., Frech, A., & Carlson, D. L. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.020 · Cited by 70
The World Health Organization composite international diagnostic interview.
Kessler, R. C., & Üstün, T. B. (2008) · Cited by 69
Psychological distress from early adulthood to early old age: evidence from the 1946, 1958 and 1970 British birth cohorts
Gondek, D., Bann, D., Patalay, P., Goodman, A. T., McElroy, E., Richards, M., & Ploubidis, G. B. (2021) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s003329172000327x · Cited by 68
“Psychological distress captures depressive and anxiety symptoms (Mirowsky & Ross, 2002).”
Background
Divorce, conflict, and mental health: how the quality of intimate relationships is linked to post‐divorce well‐being
Symoens, S., Colman, E., & Bracke, P. (2014) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/jasp.12215 · Cited by 78
Measuring mental disorders: The failed commensuration project of DSM-5
Whooley, O. (2016) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.08.006 · Cited by 62
Psychological distress and burden of care among family caregivers of patients with mental illness in a neuropsychiatric outpatient clinic in Nigeria
Udoh, E. E., Omorere, D. E., Olarewaju, S. O., Osasu, O. S., & Amoo, B. A. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0250309 · Cited by 61
“Psychological distress on the other hand has been defined as a state of emotional suffering characterized by symptoms of depression (such as loss of interest, sadness and hopelessness) and anxiety (restlessness, feeling tense and somatic symptoms) that affects the individual’s ability to cope with a particular set of…”
Background
Well-Being across the Life Course
Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.023 · Cited by 60
Self-citation
Health-related lifestyles and obesity among adults with and without disability in Australia: Implication for mental health care
Zhou, Q., Glasgow, N., & Du, W. (2018) · Disability and health journal · doi:10.1016/j.dhjo.2018.08.007 · Cited by 60
PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND COMORBID PHYSICAL CONDITIONS: DISEASE OR DISABILITY?
Byles, J., Robinson, I. A., Banks, E., Gibson, R. E., Leigh, L., Rodgers, B., Curryer, C., & Jorm, L. R. (2013) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.22162 · Cited by 60
Long-Term Survivorship after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Roadmap for Research and Care
Battiwalla, M., Tichelli, A., & Majhail, N. S. (2016) · Transplantation and Cellular Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.bbmt.2016.11.004 · Cited by 57
“Psychological distress is a state of emotional suffering characterized by symptoms of depression and anxiety that may impact the day-to-day living of an individual [78,79].”
Background
Multiple financial stressors and serious psychological distress among adults in the USA
Tsuchiya, K., Leung, C. W., Jones, A. D., & Caldwell, C. H. (2020) · International Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1007/s00038-020-01354-x · Cited by 61
The Proximity of Common Unhappiness and Misery
Schnittker, J. (2012) · Society and Mental Health · doi:10.1177/2156869312451153 · Cited by 54
“Email: jschnitt@ssc.upenn.edu followed by arguments about how dimensional measures better achieve this goal, as when researchers assert that dimensional measures are more sensitive to social influences (Mirowsky and Ross 1989, 2002).”
Background
Predictors of PTSD and Psychological Distress Symptoms of Ukraine Civilians During war
Eshel, Y., Kimhi, S., Marciano, H., & Adini, B. B. (2023) · Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness · doi:10.1017/dmp.2023.69 · Cited by 54
The long‐term impact of cancer: Evaluating psychological distress in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors in Switzerland
Michel, G., François, C., Harju, E., Dehler, S., & Roser, K. (2019) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.4981 · Cited by 52
“Psychological distress is a state of emotional suffering such as depression and anxiety that can be associated with physiological symptoms, ie, somatization.(5) Survivors of AYA cancer may be at high risk of experiencing psychological distress because of their diagnosis during a key time of consolidation of identity a…”
Background
The Black-White Paradox Revisited: Understanding the Role of Counterbalancing Mechanisms during Adolescence
Louie, P., & Wheaton, B. (2019) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/0022146519845069 · Cited by 53
Migration, ethnicity and mental health: evidence from mothers participating in the Millennium Cohort Study
Moore, L., Jayaweera, H., Redshaw, M., & QUIGLEY, M. A. (2019) · Public Health · doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2019.03.022 · Cited by 53
After Moving to Opportunity
Turney, K., Kissane, R. J., & Edin, K. J. (2012) · Society and Mental Health · doi:10.1177/2156869312464789 · Cited by 52
Assessment of Antidepressant-like, Anxiolytic Effects and Impact on Memory of Pimpinella anisum L. Total Extract on Swiss Albino Mice
Es-safi, I., Mechchate, H., Amaghnouje, A., Elbouzidi, A., Bouhrim, M., Bencheikh, N., Hano, C., & Bousta, D. (2021) · Plants · doi:10.3390/plants10081573 · Cited by 53
“Anxiety, depression, and somatoform conditions are examples of common mental disorders that can impact people all over the world [18,19].”
Background
Changes over Time in Physical Activity and Psychological Distress among Older Adults
Cairney, J., Faulkner, G., Veldhuizen, S., & Wade, T. J. (2009) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/070674370905400304 · Cited by 52
Why and how inequality matters.
McLeod, J. D. (2015) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/0022146515581619 · Cited by 51
Distribution of psychological distress is stable in recent decades and follows an exponential pattern in the US population
Tomitaka, S., Kawasaki, Y., Ide, K., Akutagawa, M., Ono, Y., & Furukawa, T. A. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-019-47322-1 · Cited by 57
Changes in caseness of anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients during the first year following surgery: Patterns of transiency and severity of the distress response
Saboonchi, F., Petersson, L., Wennman‐Larsen, A., Alexanderson, K. A. E., Bränström, R., & Vaez, M. (2014) · European Journal of Oncology Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.ejon.2014.06.007 · Cited by 58
Gender differences in the age-cohort distribution of psychological distress in Canadian adults: findings from a national longitudinal survey
Drapeau, A., Marchand, A., & Forest, C. (2014) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-014-0025-4 · Cited by 50
“Psychological distress is a state of emotional suffering characterized by moderate to severe depressive and anxiety symptoms (Drapeau et al. 2011; Mirowsky and Ross 2002).”
Background
Mental distress, perceived need, and barriers to receive professional mental health care among university students in Ethiopia
Negash, A., Khan, M. A., Medhin, G., Wondimagegn, D., & Araya, M. (2020) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02602-3 · Cited by 50
The Image in the Mirror and the Number on the Scale
Frisco, M. L., Houle, J. N., & Martin, M. A. (2010) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/0022146510372353 · Cited by 49
““The Role of Socioeconomic Status Gradients in Explaining Differences in U.S.”
Background
Race, Nativity, Ethnicity, and Cultural Influences in the Sociology of Mental Health
Brown, T. N., Donato, K. M., Laske, M. T., & Duncan, E. M. (2012) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_13 · Cited by 50
Work and Unemployment as Stressors
Lennon, M. C., & Limonic, L. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.015 · Cited by 46
Relationship between psychological distress and resilience in rescue workers
Yasien, S., Nasir, J. A., & Shaheen, T. (2016) · Saudi Medical Journal · doi:10.15537/smj.2016.7.15004 · Cited by 48
Employment status and psychological distress in a population-based cross-sectional study in Sweden: the impact of migration
Sidorchuk, A., Engström, K., Johnson-Singh, C. M., Leeoza, N. K., & Möller, J. (2017) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014698 · Cited by 44
Infertility profile, psychological ramifications and reproductive tract infection among infertile women, in northern upper Egypt
Hassan, H. E. (2015) · Journal of Nursing Education and Practice · doi:10.5430/jnep.v6n4p92 · Cited by 43
Happy employees in a resourceful workplace: just a direct relationship?
Mazzetti, G., Guglielmi, D., Chiesa, R., & Mariani, M. G. (2016) · Career Development International · doi:10.1108/cdi-03-2016-0035 · Cited by 51
Perceived stress among university students in south-east Serbia during the COVID-19 outbreak
Kostić, J., Žikić, O., Đorđević, V., & Krivokapić, Ž. (2021) · Annals of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12991-021-00346-2 · Cited by 41
Challenging claims that mental illness has been increasing and mental well-being declining
Busfield, J. (2012) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.02.053 · Cited by 41
Gendered Racial Microaggressions, Psychosocial Resources, and Depressive Symptoms among Black Women Attending a Historically Black University
Erving, C. L., Williams, T. R., Frierson, W., & Derisse, M. (2022) · Society and Mental Health · doi:10.1177/21568693221115766 · Cited by 42
“As argued by social stress researchers, measures of psychological distress more readily capture how social conditions influence a continuum of mental well-being that diagnostic categories of mental disorder may mask (Mirowsky and Ross 2002; Pearlin 1999).”
Background
Moderators of the effect of psychological interventions on depression and anxiety in cardiac surgery patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Protogerou, C., Fleeman, N., Dwan, K. M., Richardson, M., Dundar, Y., & Hagger, M. S. (2015) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2015.08.004 · Cited by 43
Revisiting the Cost of Skin Color: Discrimination, Mastery, and Mental Health among Black Adolescents
Louie, P. (2019) · Society and Mental Health · doi:10.1177/2156869318820092 · Cited by 53
A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health
(2017) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316471289 · Cited by 43
The consequences of unrealized occupational goals in the transition to adulthood
Hardie, J. H. (2014) · Social Science Research · doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2014.06.006 · Cited by 38
“In 1992 the NLSY survey included the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), which is used to assess the risk of developing clinical depression (Mirowsky and Ross 2002).”
BackgroundMethod
The effects of perceived racism on psychological distress mediated by venting and disengagement coping in Native Hawaiians
Kaholokula, J. K., Antonio, M. C. K., Ing, C. K. T., Hermosura, A., Hall, K. E., Knight, R., & Wills, T. A. (2017) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-017-0171-6 · Cited by 45
An Overview of Sociological Perspectives on the Definitions, Causes, and Responses to Mental Health and Illness
Horwitz, A. V. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.004 · Cited by 40
Social Factors, Depression, and Aging
George, L. K. (2010) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-380880-6.00011-3 · Cited by 39
Actor-partner interdependence analysis in depressed patient-caregiver dyads: Influence of emotional intelligence and coping strategies on anxiety and depression
Serres, M., Boyer, L., Alessandrini, M., Leroy, T., Karine, B., Auquier, P., & Xavier, Z. (2017) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.08.082 · Cited by 39
Psychological distress of marital and cohabitation breakups
Tavares, L. P., & Aassve, A. (2013) · Social Science Research · doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.07.008 · Cited by 37
Investigating the factor structure of the K10 and identifying cutoff scores denoting nonspecific psychological distress and need for treatment
Lace, J. W., Greif, T. R., McGrath, A. B., Grant, A. F., Merz, Z. C., Teague, C. L., & Handal, P. J. (2019) · Mental Health & Prevention · doi:10.1016/j.mhp.2019.01.008 · Cited by 39
Emotional Reactions and Likelihood of Response to Questions Designed for a Mental Health Chatbot Among Adolescents: Experimental Study
Mariamo, A., Temcheff, C. E., Léger, P., Sénécal, S., & Lau, M. A. (2021) · JMIR Human Factors · doi:10.2196/24343 · Cited by 35
Psychological Distress Severity of Adults Reporting Receipt of Treatment for Mental Health Problems in the BRFSS
Dhingra, S. S., Zack, M. M., Strine, T. W., Druss, B. G., Berry, J. T., & Balluz, L. S. (2011) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.62.4.pss6204_0396 · Cited by 37
Suicidal Ideation, Psychological Distress and Child-To-Parent Violence: A Gender Analysis
Martínez–Ferrer, B., Romero-Abrio, A., León-Moreno, C., Villarreal-González, M. E., & Musitu-Ferrer, D. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575388 · Cited by 34
“Psychological distress is defined as a state of emotional suffering characterized by symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms as a consequence of stressors and demands that are difficult to cope with in daily life (Mirowsky and Ross, 2002; Drapeau et al., 2012).”
Background
Researching the researchers: psychological distress and psychosocial stressors according to career stage in mental health researchers
Hill, N. T. M., Bailey, E., Benson, R., Cully, G., Kirtley, O. J., Purcell, R., Rice, S., Robinson, J., & Walton, C. C. (2022) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-022-00728-5 · Cited by 36
“Given psychological distress is characterised by depressive and anxiety symptoms, and is an indicator of mental ill health conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders [17] research that seeks to identify the association between work-related stresses and psychological distress may have upstream benefits that re…”
Background
Prevalence and Correlates of Stability and Change in Maternal Depression: Evidence from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study
Turney, K. (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045709 · Cited by 34
“The dichotomous measure of depression makes it impossible to consider mothers who exhibited some symptoms of depression but did not fit the diagnostic criterion for depression [41].”
Background
Outcomes for the Sociology of Mental Health: Are We Meeting Our Goals?
Schwartz, S. (2002) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/3090198 · Cited by 34
Predictors of mental health service use among individuals with high psychological distress and mental disorders.
Simo, B., Bamvita, J., Caron, J., & Fleury, M. (2018) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.10.019 · Cited by 24
Associations of social support and alexithymia with psychological distress in Finnish young adults
Saikkonen, S., Karukivi, M., Vahlberg, T. J., & Saarijãrvi, S. (2018) · Scandinavian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/sjop.12478 · Cited by 32
The Challenge of the Dependent Variable
Link, B. G. (2002) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/3090200 · Cited by 31

Authors: Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E.
Affiliations: The Ohio State University (US)
ORCID: Ross, Catherine E.
Venue: Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2002-06
Volume: 43
Issue: 2
Pages: 152
ISSN: 0022-1465 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.2307/3090194
OpenAlex: W2331656655
Cited by: 378
References: 41
Citations by year: 2026: 22 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 45 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 16
FWCI: 22.07
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Journal of Health and Social Behavior (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychology and Mental Health
Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
Keywords: mental health measurement, human sciences, mental health index, psychiatric diagnosis, diagnostic tools, human suffering, emotions
MeSH terms: Attitude to Health, Mental Disorders, Diagnosis, Differential, Humans, Humanism, Mental Health, Sociology

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Measurement for a Human Science

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks