Kessler-10 (K10) distress scale

The Kessler-10 scale is one of the tools used to screen for psychological distress, such as anxiety or depression. This is not intended to provide a diagnosis – only trained health professionals should do this.

Note: Your responses to this questionnaire are anonymous. Your scores are not recorded by Health Navigator NZ and we do not capture any information that can identify you.

The Kessler-10 scale was developed for use in the US National Health Interview Survey. It is a short measure of non-specific psychological distress based on questions about the level of nervousness, agitation, psychological fatigue and depression.

Professor Ronald C Kessler of the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School is thanked for the use of research on the Kessler-10 funded by US Public Health Service Grants RO1 MH46376, R01 MH52861, RO1 MH49098 and K05 MH00507, and by the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation Network on Successful Midlife Development (Gilbert Brim, Director).

How to interpret your Kessler-10 score

Each item is scored from 1 = ‘none of the time’ to 5 = ‘all of the time’. Scores of the 10 items are then summed, yielding a minimum score of 10 and a maximum score of 50.
Low scores indicate low levels of psychological distress and high scores indicate high levels of psychological distress.
Please note that while great care has been taken with the development of this self-test, it is not intended to be a substitute for professional clinical advice. The result is indicative only. If you have scored above the threshold on this scale, see your doctor or amental health practitioner, such as a counsellor, psychotherapist or psychologist.