scholarly journals Distress Levels of Parents of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison between Italy and Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11066
Author(s):  
Dayle Burnett ◽  
Anne Masi ◽  
Antonio Mendoza Diaz ◽  
Renata Rizzo ◽  
Ping-I Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Parental Distress ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Learning Disorder ◽  
Parental Wellbeing ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Stringency Level ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

Parents of children with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) report higher levels of distress compared to those of typically developing children. Distress levels may be heightened by the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is unclear whether distress levels of parents varied by the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorder in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate whether parental distress was influenced by the type of NDD. Participants were from Australia (N = 196) and Italy (N = 200); the parents of children aged 3–18 were invited to complete an online self-reported survey which included the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) to determine parental distress. The results show that intellectual or learning disorder (ILD) is a major contributor to parental distress compared to other NDDs in both Australia and Italy. Moreover, the worsening of symptomatic changes in children with NDDs was significantly associated with parental distress. The differences between the two countries in terms of the pandemic impact, however, were not statistically significant. The results suggest that intervention strategies need to be tailored for individual clinical information and factor in the society’s stringency level of anti-contagion policies to improve parental wellbeing.

Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Kessler ◽  
G. Andrews ◽  
L. J. Colpe ◽  
E. Hiripi ◽  
D. K. Mroczek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

scholarly journals Development and validation of a parent-proxy health-related quality of life survey for Australian First Nations children

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e046007
Author(s):  
Kaley Butten ◽  
Lee Jones ◽  
Peter A Newcombe ◽  
Anne B Chang ◽  
Jeanie K Sheffield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Parent Proxy

ObjectiveWithin Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) populations perceive health and well-being differently to non-Indigenous Australians. Existing health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) measurement tools do not account for these differences. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a culturally specific parent-proxy HR-QoL measurement tool for First Nations children.DesignScale development was informed by parents/carers of children with a chronic illness and an expert panel. The preliminary 39-item survey was reviewed (n=12) and tested (n=163) with parents/carers of First Nations children aged 0–12 years at baseline with comparative scales: the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, generic HR-QoL (Paediatric QoL Inventory 4.0, PedsQL4.0) and Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, and repeated (n=46) 4 weeks later. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used for scale reduction. Reliability and validity were assessed by internal consistency, test–retest, and correlations with comparison scales.ResultsItems within our First Nations-Child Quality of Life (FirstNations-CQoL) were internally consistent with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of ≥0.7 (quality of life, 0.808; patient experience, 0.880; patient support, 0.768) and overall test–retest reliability was good (r=0.75; 95% CI 0.593 to 0.856). Convergent validity was observed with the PedsQL4.0 with Pearson’s coefficients of r=0.681 (ages 2–4 years); r=0.651 (ages 5–12 years) and with the Kessler Psychological Distress scale (r=−0.513). Divergent validity against the Spence Anxiety Scale was not demonstrated.ConclusionsThe FirstNations-CQoL scale was accepted by the participants, reliable and demonstrated convergent validity with comparison measures. This tool requires further evaluation to determine responsiveness, its minimal important difference and clinical utility.

Kessler Psychological Distress Scale—Extended Version

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Donker ◽  
Hannie Comijs ◽  
Pim Cuijpers ◽  
Berend Terluin ◽  
Willem Nolen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Extended Version ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

scholarly journals Welfare of Anaesthesia Trainees Survey

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. Downey ◽  
J. McDonald ◽  
R. G. Downey
Keyword(s):  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Electronic Survey ◽  
Personal Healthcare ◽  
Training Scheme ◽  
Clinical Events ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
High Distress ◽  
Psychological Impairment ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

This study was designed to investigate levels of stress, anxiety or depression and to identify factors compounding or relieving stress in anaesthesia trainees within the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) training scheme. An electronic survey was sent to 999 randomly selected trainees and 428 responses were received. In addition to demographics, psychological wellbeing was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and questions were asked about depression and anxiety, exacerbating factors, personal healthcare and strategies used to manage stress. The majority of respondents (73%) reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their job and training. However, 28% of respondents had K10 scores indicating high or very high distress levels. Eleven percent reported being currently on treatment for anxiety and/ or depression. Twenty-two percent reported having experienced bullying and 14% sexism. Twenty-eight percent reported that they did not have a regular general practitioner (GP), and 41% reported having not visited their GP in the previous year. Forty-seven percent of trainees reported that they self-prescribe medications. Major stressors reported were exams, critical clinical events and fear of making errors. Two stressors previously not identified in similar studies were concern about job prospects in 71% of respondents and workplace-based assessments in 51%. This survey demonstrates significant psychological impairment and poor personal healthcare amongst many trainees. Education, careful continuing assessment of trainees' welfare and a review of current support and remedial measures may be required.

scholarly journals The Psychometric Properties of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) in an Epidemiological Sample of Canadian Youth

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 647-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Ferro
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
World Health ◽  
Epidemiological Sample ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

Objective: This study (1) describes the distribution of Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) scores in an epidemiological sample of youth, (2) reports its item correlations and internal consistency reliability, (3) tests for measurement invariance by age (youth vs. adults) and sex, and (4) examines its predictive power for past-year psychiatric disorders. Method: Youth aged 15 to 19 years ( n = 2010) and adults aged 20 to 64 years ( n = 2010) from the Canadian Community Health Survey–Mental Health who completed the K6 were included. Past-year psychiatric disorders were measured using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 (WHO-CIDI). Polychoric correlation matrices and ordinal reliability coefficients were calculated to assess internal consistency of the K6, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to test for measurement invariance. Area under the curves (AUCs) were computed to determine the extent to which the K6 predicted a positive screen on the WHO-CIDI. Results: K6 scores showed a J-shaped distribution, with >50% of youth having scores ≤3. Item and total scores were higher for females versus males. Item correlations were robust (0.31-0.78) and internal consistency was high (α = 0.86). Full measurement invariance was demonstrated between youth and adults, as well as between male and female youth. The K6 was a strong predictor of major depressive episode (AUC = 0.848), generalized anxiety disorder (AUC = 0.847), and bipolar disorder (AUC = 0.853). Conclusions: The K6 is a valid and reliable measure of psychological distress among youth. Its brevity and robust predictive power for psychiatric disorder confirm its utility in clinical and community settings to identify youth needing comprehensive psychiatric assessment.

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