Abstract
BackgroundThe Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 (HSCL-10) is widely used to measure psychological distress in adolescents. To provide valid and reliable results and generate recommendations for practice and policies, instruments with sound psychometric properties are required. The purpose of this study is to use Rasch measurement theory to assess the psychometric properties of the HSCL-10 among adolescents aged 13–19.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 6445 adolescents responded to a web-based questionnaire. Data were collected from lower and upper secondary schools in Norway during 2018. The data were analysed using the partial credit parameterisation of the unidimensional Rasch model.ResultsHSCL-10 was found to be unidimensional and to have acceptable reliability. One pair of items showed response dependency. The targeting of the instrument could have been better. All items had ordered thresholds. Three items under-discriminated and three displayed differential item functioning regarding gender.ConclusionsHSCL-10 has potential for measuring psychological distress in adolescents, though there is room for improvement. To further improve this instrument, some items should be rephrased.
Highlights
The Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 (HSCL-10) is widely used to measure psychological distress in adolescents
Several instruments have been developed for this purpose, such as the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) [7, 8], Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [9] and the General Health Questionnaire [10]
The aim of this study is to use Rasch measurement theory (RMT) to assess the psychometric properties of HSCL-10 among adolescents aged 13–19
Summary
The Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 (HSCL-10) is widely used to measure psychological distress in adolescents. Mental health problems among adolescents are a leading cause of disease burden worldwide [1] and an important public health issue in Norway and other Western countries. Questionnaires measuring depression and anxiety symptoms are frequently used to collect self-reported data about psychological distress. Several instruments have been developed for this purpose, such as the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) [7, 8], Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [9] and the General Health Questionnaire [10]. Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 (HSCL-10) is commonly used to measure psychological distress in many Western countries [8, 11, 12]. An early version of HSCL was developed in the 1950s [7] but has since undergone
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