Journal
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume 38, Issue 6, Pages 567-573Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.12271
Keywords
psychological distress; Aboriginal Australians; cross-cultural validity; Kesser scales; psychometric
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Funding
- NSW Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AHMRC)
- AHMRC ethics committee
- National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship
- Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Training Fellowship
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Objectives: To assess the cross-cultural validity of two Kessler psychological distress scales (K-10 and K-5) by examining their measurement properties among older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and comparing them to those in non-Aboriginal individuals from NSW Australia. Methods: Self-reported questionnaire data from the 45 and Up Study for 1,631 Aboriginal and 231,774 non-Aboriginal people were used to examine the factor structure, convergent validity, internal consistency and levels of missing data of K-10 and K-5. Results: We found excellent agreement in classification of distress of Aboriginal participants by K-10 and K-5 (weighted kappa=0.87), high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha K-10: 0.93, K-5: 0.88), and factor structures consistent with those for the total Australian population. Convergent validity was evidenced by a strong graded relationship between the level of distress and the odds of: problems with daily activities due to emotional problems; current treatment for depression or anxiety; and poor quality of life. Conclusions and implications: K-10 and K-5 scales are promising tools for measuring psychological distress among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged 45 and over in research and clinical settings.
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