Validity and reliability of the Kessler Psychological distress scale in assessing psychological distress among the rural elderly: a cross-sectional community-based study

: Kessler’s Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a self-rated tool used to measure psychological distress, but its applicability in elderly populations has not been extensively studied in community settings. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the K10 scale among the elderly population in rural India. : A cross-sectional, observational, descriptive study was conducted in the community of Sonitpur district, Assam, India. Data were collected from 1,993 elderly population using a semi-structured proforma for sociodemographic and illness-related information, and the K10 scale was employed to quantify psychological distress. The factor structure of the K10 scale was assessed using exploratory factor analysis, and internal consistency was measured with Cronbach’s alpha. In this study, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) exhibited excellent internal consistency, as evidenced by a Cronbach’s alpha of.930, which suggests strong reliability. Internal consistency was not substantially enhanced by the removal of any item, as evidenced by the item-wise analysis, which indicated that all alpha values remained above 0.917. A unidimensional structure was substantiated by exploratory factor analysis that employed the minimum residual extraction method with Promax rotation. The dominant eigenvalue of the initial factor was 6.54, while all subsequent eigenvalues were less than 1. The strongest contribution to the underlying construct was indicated by the highest factor loadings for items K10_2 (0.971), K10_8 (0.942), and K10_9 (1.002). The model fit indices indicated that the fit was satisfactory to exceptional (RMSEA = 0.077; TLI = 0.973). The sampling adequacy was confirmed by the KMO measure (0.924), and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity was significant (χ² = 19,976, p < .001). The scale’s unidimensionality in measuring psychological distress was further validated by the scree plot, which demonstrated a significant decline following the first factor. The K10 scale is a reliable and validated tool for measuring psychological distress among elderly individuals in rural India, confirming its suitability for use in this population.