Mental distress in the Danish general population

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Mental distress assessment is crucial for public health.
• The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL) is a validated tool for measuring psychological distress.
• Cross-cultural comparisons of mental distress provide valuable insights into population health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present mental distress data for the Danish general population using SCL subscales.
• To compare Danish SCL data with international samples, particularly from other countries.
• To investigate associations between mental distress and various biopsychosocial factors.

Main Methods:

• A gender- and age-stratified random sample of 2040 Danes completed questionnaires.
• Mean SCL subscale scores were calculated and compared with US and Nordic data.
• Multiple regression analysis identified biopsychosocial factors associated with mental distress levels.

Main Results:

• Danish mean SCL scores were significantly higher than US non-patient samples.
• Danish raw score cut-offs for caseness were higher than US cut-offs.
• Age, gender, social status, somatic disorders, and life events were associated with mental distress.

Conclusions:

• Danish general population SCL scores are relatively high but comparable to Nordic countries.
• Accurate interpretation of SCL scores in Denmark necessitates Danish-specific norms and caseness cut-off scores.
• These findings highlight the importance of culturally relevant diagnostic criteria.