The association between the Kessler 10 and suicidality: a cross-sectional analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychometrics
• Mental Health Assessment

Background:

• The Kessler 10 (K10) is a widely used screening tool for psychological distress.
• Its utility in a clinical inpatient setting, particularly for identifying suicidality, requires further investigation.
• Understanding the psychometric properties of the K10 is crucial for its accurate application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Kessler 10 (K10) within an inpatient psychiatric population.
• To determine the effectiveness of the K10 in identifying individuals with suicidal ideation.
• To explore the K10's potential as a screener for occult suicidality.

Main Methods:

• Factor analysis was employed to examine the underlying structure of the K10.
• T-tests were used to compare K10 scores between suicidal and nonsuicidal patient groups.
• Multiple regression analyses assessed the correlation between K10 scores and specific suicidality measures.

Main Results:

• The K10 demonstrated a two-factor structure, primarily reflecting depression and anxiety.
• The K10 significantly differentiated between suicidal and nonsuicidal inpatients.
• K10 scores were associated with various measures related to suicidality.

Conclusions:

• The Kessler 10 (K10) shows promise as an effective screening instrument for detecting suicidality in clinical psychiatric settings.
• The findings support the use of the K10 for identifying "occult" suicidality, which may otherwise go unnoticed.
• Further validation of the K10 for suicidality screening in diverse clinical populations is warranted.