Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6)
The K6 asks how often six feelings occurred during the past 30 days and produces a 0–24 measure of general psychological distress. It is not a diagnosis.
Evidence passport
Instrument and scoring
- Scientific name
- Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6)
- NuraCheck implementation version
- 1.1.0
- Scoring method
- Published sum score
- Score shown
- Overall score and dimensions
- Primary reference
- Kessler RC, Barker PR, Colpe LJ, et al. Screening for Serious Mental Illness in the General Population. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2003;60(2):184–189. Open publication
- Published scoring source
- Published scoring source
- Exact form or administration source
- No separate source is recorded for this field.
Who and where the evidence may apply
Evidence comes from particular studies and language versions, so its relevance can vary.
- Intended audience
- Adults seeking a brief reflection on general emotional distress during the past 30 days.
- Language version shown
- English (en) · Base wording used by this NuraCheck implementation
- Study participants and settings
- The cited calibration study used an enriched US convenience sample of 155 adults who completed the K10/K6 and a structured clinical interview. The scales were developed for US general-population survey use, but this small calibration sample was not nationally representative.
Review the study used for these details
Scores do not capture culture, minority stress, disability or barriers to support. These factors can shape responses.
The evidence cannot determine whether a questionnaire fits you personally. NuraCheck does not ask for or infer identity to decide this.
Language provenance
- Language version shown
- English (en) · Base wording used by this NuraCheck implementation
- Wording scope
- Full instrument
- Independent language review
- Not recorded separately for the base wording
Base-wording source recorded by NuraCheck
Language provenance and independent validation are different. NuraCheck does not infer a reviewer or review date when the evidence record does not name one.
Licence and permitted use
- Licence status
- Permission granted
- Rights holder or steward
- Ronald C. Kessler
- Permission record checked
- Jul 14, 2026
- Electronic use
- Allowed by the reviewed permission record
- Translation
- Allowed by the reviewed permission record
K6 © Ronald C. Kessler, PhD. All rights reserved. Used under the author's published free-use terms.
What this questionnaire cannot answer
The K6 cannot identify the cause of distress. Physical health, circumstances and many psychological experiences can affect the score.
What your result can show
In a U.S. National Center for Health Statistics survey report, 0–7 was below the reported distress ranges, 8–12 was the mild-to-moderate psychological-distress range, and 13–24 was the serious psychological-distress range. These population-survey ranges do not diagnose a condition.
Important limitations
The K6 cannot identify the cause of distress. Physical health, circumstances and many psychological experiences can affect the score.