Measurement Equivalence of the Kessler 6 Psychological Distress Scale for Chinese and Korean Immigrants: Comparison Between Younger and Older Adults (International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research)

​Summary: The Kessler 6 (K6) Psychological Distress Scale is a well‐known instrument to screen for psychological distress of general populations. It is critical to perform the equivalence test of the K6 for Asian immigrant subgroups.

2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data were used. Among 1,210 respondents, 734 were younger (18–64 years) and 476 were older (65+) adults. Authors examined whether parameters in the measurement model is equivalent across the two groups, using multiple‐group analysis. 

Findings: The younger group had good model fit and the older group also showed good model fit. The model for the older group indicated measurement noninvariance between Chinese and Korean immigrants. The terms “hopeless,” “restless,” and “depressed,” were significantly nonequivalent between the two groups.

Clinicians/researchers should be aware of the potential risk for misclassification when they screen psychological distress of Chinese or Korean older immigrants. Professionals should pay attention to cross‐cultural comparability when interpreting results from the K6. 

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• Journal Article: Measurement Equivalence of the Kessler 6 Psychological Distress Scale for Chinese and Korean Immigrants: Comparison Between Younger and Older Adults