Escala de Distrés Psicológico Infantojuvenil (EDISTRESS-IJ): Propuesta de un Instrumento de Evaluación Reducida

Distress is an important component that must be considered in students’ mental health. The general objective of this study was to propose the investigation of a model composed of items from different instruments that assess elements of distress and, from this, seek the structuring of a reduced model to evaluate the construct. The sample consisted of 515 students from the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades of Paraná (Brazil) public schools. The Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents - ESAN-IJ, the Baptista Depression Scale (youth version) - EBADEP-IJ, and the Children and Adolescents Emotional Distress Scale were used. The data indicated that the best fit was demonstrated by the Bifactor model, corroborating the theoretical structure of distress. The results are discussed taking into account both the clinical and psychoeducational implications of the diagnosis of this construct.