Psychological distress among persons living with hypertension: Validation and application of the Symptom Checklist - 13

Objectives: This study aims to adapt and validate the 13-item version of the Symptom Checklist (SCL-13) as a brief and culturally relevant tool for assessing psychological distress among people living with hypertension in Nigeria. The adaptation addresses the need for a concise, user-friendly instrument to support mental health assessment in resource-constrained clinical settings. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was employed, involving 62 hypertensive patients (23 males, 39 females; M = 42.91 years, SD = 15.79) recruited from the Obafemi Awolowo University Health Centre, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The participants were selected using a two-stage sampling method, which combined purposive and convenience sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.823), and validity assessment through correlation analyses with the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) and the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Results: The SCL-13 demonstrated good internal consistency (α = 0.823) and high convergent validity with the BSI-18 (r = 0.74, p < 0.01), indicating its effectiveness in measuring psychological distress. A moderate negative correlation was found with the CD-RISC-10 (r = −0.399, p < 0.01), indicating that the scale is distinct from resilience-related constructs. Conclusion: The SCL-13 is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring psychological distress in hypertensive populations. It is a practical tool that can be used in clinical and research practice due to its conciseness and cultural particularity. Future research ought to examine how it can be applied to other groups of chronic illnesses and how it is sensitive to change in longitudinal designs.