Measurement invariance of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) among children of Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers

Introduction Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a 10-item screening tool designed for nonspecific psychological distress. The current study aims to identify a best-fitting factor structure of the K10, and to test its cross-gender measurement invariance based on the structure. Methods Using convenience sampling, we included 339 (n = 192 for boys and 135 for girls) children of Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers in Hangzhou, China. Results Confirmatory factor analysis for ordered-categorical measures revealed a two-factor structure as the best-fitting model, in which five items (hopeless, depressed, effort, severely depressed, and worthless) loaded on depression and the other five items loaded on anxiety (tired, nervous, severely nervous, restless, and severely restless). The model held at different levels of the measurement invariance testing, that is, full measurement invariance was not rejected in our sample, suggesting that gender differences as assessed with K10 reflect true differences. Structural invariance testing showed that girls in our sample showed significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety than boys. Conclusion These findings support that the K10 is suitable for gender-comparative research among children of Chinese migrant workers. Using the K10 as a screening tool among this population should be promoted. Limitations and directions for future research were discussed.