A Psychometric Study to Translate and Measure Validity of a Telugu Translation of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)

The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale has been extensively used to evaluate psychological distress in both general and clinical populations. To enhance its cultural validity across various languages, this study aims to translate the original Kessler Psychological Distress Scale into Telugu, a language extensively spoken in Southern states of India. Target population for this study included bilingual or multilingual participants who are fluent in both Telugu and English languages. Using multiple forward and backward translation strategies, a telugu translated version of Kessler Psychological Distress Scale was created. With a week difference, each of the scales were sent to the participants to collect data. Data was analysed using Paired t-test, One-way ANOVA, and Cronbach alpha (α) to test its validity and reliability. Results showed that the Telugu translated version of Kessler Psychological Distress Scale had high validity and comparability to the original English version of Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. This study acts as a step forward in creating more translations of various scales to improve their cross-cultural validity.