Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, Hmong version: a screening instrument for psychological distress

The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25; Mattsson, Williams, Rickels, Lipman, & Uhlenhuth, 1969) was translated into the Hmong language and administered to 159 Hmong adults, 73 nonclinical and 86 mental health clients. The instrument demonstrated internal consistency of .97 and had a split-half coefficient of .92 and test-retest reliability of .90. Mental health clients produced scores that were significantly higher than those of nonclinical participants on the Anxiety, Depression, and Total scores. Consistent with expectations, Hmong more intensely affected by the casualties of war, those currently unemployed, those older, and those with less education tended to report more symptoms of anxiety and depression. The Hmong version of the HSCL-25 provided a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 78%, and overall accuracy of 89%, demonstrating that it is a useful screening tool for assessing general distress and anxiety problems in Hmong people.