TRANSLATION AND PSYCHOMETRIC VALIDATION OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS SCALE

Abstract

Context: Psychological distress is common among individuals with chronic illnesses such as arthritis, migraine, and lower back pain. Despite widespread use of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), culturally validated measures for Pakistani clinical populations remain limited. Childhood trauma and emotion regulation were assessed using the Urdu Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (Safdar & Bokhari, 2015) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Soulat Khan & Rukhsana Kausar, 2014).

Aims: This study aimed to translate, adapt, and examine the psychometric properties of the K-10 among Pakistani middle-aged adults with chronic physical conditions.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with 200 adults (45–60 years) diagnosed with arthritis, migraine, or chronic lower back pain. The K-10 was translated into Urdu using forward–backward translation, review, and cognitive pretesting. Construct validity was examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, reliability via Cronbach’s alpha, and criterion validity through correlations with the Urdu ACEs questionnaire.

Results: Exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported a unidimensional structure explaining 54.1% of variance, with good reliability (α = .80) and model fit (CFI = .96, TLI = .95, RMSEA = .045). Psychological distress correlated positively with emotion suppression (r = .56, p < .001) and adverse childhood experiences (r = .42, p < .001).

Conclusion: The Urdu-translated K-10 is a reliable and valid tool for assessing psychological distress in Pakistani middle-aged adults with chronic physical conditions for clinical and research use.