Prevalence of Psychological Distress, as Measured by the Kessler 6 (K6), and Related Factors in Japanese Employees

• Published in: Community mental health journal Vol. 48; no. 3; pp. 328 - 335
• Main Authors: Fushimi, Masahito, Saito, Seiji, Shimizu, Tetsuo, Kudo, Yasutsugu, Seki, Masayuki, Murata, Katsuyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.06.2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Age Distribution; Age groups; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; Benchmarks; Community and Environmental Psychology; Compulsory education; Cross-Sectional Studies; Emotional disorders; Employees; Employers; Employment; Female; Health promotion; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Health Status Indicators; High risk; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Japan; Japan - epidemiology; Male; Managerial skills; Medical screening; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental health care; Middle Aged; Occupational Exposure; Occupational health; Original Paper; Prevalence; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychological distress; Psychology; Questionnaires; Risk assessment; Risk Factors; Secondary schools; Sex Distribution; Sociodemographic aspects; Sociodemographics; Socioeconomic Factors; Stress; Stress, Psychological - diagnosis; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Suicides & suicide attempts; Surveys and Questionnaires; Workplace; Young Adult; Japan; Japan, Honshu, Akita Prefect; Questionnaire survey; Occupational health; Kessler 6 (K6); Japan; Mental health
• ISSN: 0010-3853; 1573-2789
• DOI: 10.1007/s10597-011-9416-7

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of and related factors for psychological distress among employees. The employees in Akita prefecture, Japan, were invited to complete the Kessler 6 (K6). A value of 13 or higher on the K6 scale indicated high psychological distress. Furthermore, we identified the relationships among the prevalence of high psychological distress, socio-demographic status, and employment-related variables. The data of 1,709 employees indicated that 10.8% of the employees had high psychological distress; the proportion of psychological distress found in the present study was high compared to that found in previous studies. The identified socio-demographic and occupation-related factors included young age groups associated with a high risk and clerical or administrative tasks associated with a low risk of psychological distress. The data of this study can be used as K6 benchmark values, which enhance the significance of future corporate health risk appraisal surveys.