Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, Hmong Version: A Screening Instrument for Psychological Distress

Abstract

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.

Alcohol Use, Depressive Symptoms and the Receipt of Antiretroviral Therapy in Southwest Uganda

“…The DSHSCL is a 15-item Likert scale that measures symptoms of depression according to the criteria set by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). The DSHSCL has been used extensively worldwide in a variety of populations, including refugees (Mollica et al 1987), migrants (McKelvey et al 1993a, b;Mouanoutoua and Brown 1995), and HIVpositive persons in Africa (Kaaya et al 2002), including Southwestern Uganda (Bolton 2001). The DSHSCL has been shown to be valid, reliable, and culturally relevant in these settings (Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma).…”

Individual and Organizational Well-being when Workplace Conflicts are on the Agenda: A Mixed-methods Study

“…The HSCL-10 is a short version of a more comprehensive test . However, the 10-question version performs just as well as the longer versions, and it has been psychometrically established both in population studies and in patient populations (Mouanoutoua & Brown, 1995). In order to impose minimal time and resource demands upon the survey participants, we therefore chose HSCL-10 instead of HSCL-25.…”

The Role of Psycho-Sociocultural Factors in Suicide Risk Among Mong/Hmong Youth

“…For instance, when translated into the Mong/Hmong language, the majority of western mental health diagnoses (mental illnesses) simply mean "crazy;" as such, individuals who seek mental health services are stigmatized as incompetent within the Mong/Hmong community (Cerhan, 1990;Mouanoutoua, 2003;Mouanoutoua & Brown, 1995;Nicholson, 1997;Yee, n.d.). Chen, Guarnaccia, and Chung (2003) utilized the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (Radloff, 1977) to examine the relationship between acculturation and depression among Chinese and Japanese Americans (n = 102), and found that higher acculturation was associated with greater affective symptoms and fewer somatic symptoms.…”

“…Of the current research studies on the Mong/Hmong population, more have focused on the mental health needs of older adults rather than children and young adults (Boehnlein & Kinzie, 1996; R. C. Chung & Lin, 1994;Mouanoutoua & Brown, 1995;Nicholson, 1997;Ying & Akursu, 1997). Furthermore, the availability and development of culturally sensitive and appropriate measurements for the Mong/Hmong population is scarce.…”

“…Currently, there are only two well established and validated translated measurements for depression in the Mong/Hmong language (Mouanoutoua & Brown, 1995;Mouanoutoua, Brown, Cappelletty, & Levine, 1991 If you decide to participate, you will be asked to respond to a series of survey questionnaires. The survey will include questions about your age, gender and other areas such as your family, culture, ethnicity, and psychological well-being.…”