Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turkish Studies, cilt.16, sa.4, ss.1221-1233, 2021 (Hakemli Dergi)
Abstract: The mental health and well-being of a population are determined by measuring the psychological
distress levels of individuals in society. As psychological distress is quite common, especially in families
caring for cancer patients, it is important to determine the level of stress. The effective strategy may need to
target all members of the primary patient's family. In order to achieve this, there is a need for practical,
reliable, useful and multifunctional scanning tools. This study was carried out to test the comparatively
validity and reliability of the Turkish form of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and to reveal its
explanatory power. The study used a methodological design. The study consist of total 150 people of which
75 relatives of cancer patients treated in a University Hospital Chemotherapy Unit and 75 healthy individuals
from general population who did not have family members with cancer. The 10-item Kessler Psychological
Distress Scale is a short measurement tool for anxiety and mood disorders. Cronbach’s alpha values were
calculated to determine the reliability of the scale, factor and fit analyses were done to reveal its validity, and
correlation and upper-lower 27% values were calculated to reveal its discriminating power. Cronbach’s alpha
value of the scale was 0.91. The p-value for standardized factor loads, t values, and the explanatory values of
the items were less than 0.001. The goodness of fit indices was within an acceptable range. Total scores
showed significant differences according to the lower 27%-upper 27% groups. The Turkish version of the
K10 scale is a valid, reliable and practical tool that can be used both in the healthy population and in groups
with high stress risk to determine the level of distress.