Person—distress related to current imprisonment indicator, K-10 score of psychological distress

Identifying and definitional attributes
Metadata item type:	Data Element
Short name:	Level of distress (K-10 score)
METEOR identifier:	376093
Registration status:	Health, Standard 19/11/2015
Definition:	The level of distress experienced during the last 4 weeks by an imprisoned person, as represented by a code (score on the K-10 scale).
Data Element Concept:	Person—distress related to current imprisonment indicator

Value domain attributes

Representational attributes

Classification scheme:

K-10 score

Representation class:

Code

Data type:

Number

Format:

Permissible values:

Value	Meaning
1	Low (score of 10-19)
2	Mild (score of 20-24)
3	Moderate (score of 25-29)
4	Severe (score of 30-50)

Supplementary values:

Value	Meaning
9	Not stated/inadequately described

Collection and usage attributes

Guide for use:

This item records the score on the Kessler -10 (K-10), which is a standardised measure of non-specific psychological distress. The K-10 is based on questions about the level of nervousness, agitation, psychological fatigue and depression during the last 4 weeks. It is designed to discriminate between those people who have a serious mental illness and those who do not. The responses for each question 1-10 are recorded:

1	None of the time
2	A little of the time
3	Some of the time
4	Most of the time
5	All of the time

Add the combined codes to create an overall numeric value of the level of psychological distress:

-Low: as indicated by a score of 10-19

-Mild: as indicated by a score of 20-24

-Moderate: as indicated by a score of 25-29

-Severe: as indicated by a score of 30-50

Data element attributes

Source and reference attributes

Submitting organisation:

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Relational attributes

Related metadata references:

Implementation in Data Set Specifications: