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Global Mental Health

      Assessment Tools for Programs and Research

Over the last decade of work, our team has translated and adapted tools for assessing common mental health problems in several countries and languages around the world. In many cases, we have also conducted for tests of the reliability and validity of these translated and adapted tools.

All of the measures listed below are available by request from our research team. Please do not disseminate these translations directly to others but refer them to this page or to our team for the translations. Please note that measures marked with a * may require permission from the original authors. We do not take responsibility for these permissions.

Hopkins Symptom Checklist Depression Measure
(HSCL-D; 15-items)1

Country

Language(s)

Population we used it with

Adaptation/Validation Study

Democratic Republic of Congo

Swahili, Kifulero, Kihave, Mashi, Kibembe

Adult female SGBV survivors

USAID project Report – available by request

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lingala

Perinatal women

Post-partum depression in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: validation of a concept using a mixed-methods cross-cultural approach. Bass JK, Ryder RW, Lammers MC, Mukaba TN, Bolton PA. Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH. 2008; 13(12):1534-42.

Myanmar

Burmese, Kayin, Kachin

Male and Female adult trauma survivors

Adaptation and testing of psychosocial assessment instruments for cross-cultural use: an example from the Thailand Burma border. Haroz EE, Bass JK, Lee C, Murray LK, Robinson C, Bolton P. BMC psychology. 2014; 2(1):31.

Uganda

Luganda, Ateso, Jhapadhola

Male and Female HIV-affected adults

Cross-cultural validity and reliability testing of a standard psychiatric assessment instrument without a gold standard. Bolton P. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2001 Apr;189(4):238-42. (Luganda version)

Indonesia

Bahasa Aceh

Male and Female adult trauma survivors

Bass J, Poudyal B, Bolton P. (2008) An assessment of the impact of a problem-solving counseling for torture-affected adults in Aceh, Indonesia. USAID Development Clearinghouse

Iraq

Arabic, Kurdish (Sorani and Bhadini)

Male and Female adult trauma survivors

USAID project Report – available by request

Tanzania (Nyarugusu Refugee Camp)

Swahili

Female adult refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Forthcoming

Nepal

Nepali

Male and female torture survivors

Tol, W. A., I. H. Komproe, M. J. D. Jordans, S. B. Thapa, B. Sharma and J. T. V. M. de Jong (2009). "Brief multi-disciplinary treatment for torture survivors in Nepal: a naturalistic comparative study." International Journal of Social Psychiatry 55(1): 39-56.

1. Hesbacher PT, Rickels K, Morris RJ, Newman H, Rosenfeld H. Psychiatric illness in family practice. J Clin Psychiatry 1980;41:6-10; Winokur A, Winokur DF, Rickels K, Cox DS. Symptoms of emotional distress in a family planning service: stability over a four-week period. Br J Psychiatry 1984;144:395-399.

 

Hopkins Symptom Checklist Anxiety Measure (HSCL-A; 10-items)2

Country

Language(s)

Population we used it with

Adaptation/Validation Study

Indonesia

Bahasa Aceh

Male and Female adult trauma survivors

Bass J, Poudyal B, Bolton P. (2008) An assessment of the impact of a problem-solving counseling for torture-affected adults in Aceh, Indonesia. USAID Development Clearinghouse

Myanmar

Burmese, Kayin, Kachin

Male and Female adult trauma survivors

Adaptation and testing of psychosocial assessment instruments for cross-cultural use: an example from the Thailand Burma border. Haroz EE, Bass JK, Lee C, Murray LK, Robinson C, Bolton P.

BMC psychology. 2014; 2(1):31.

Uganda

Luganda, Ateso, Jhapadhola

Male and Female HIV-affected adults

 

Democratic Republic of Congo

Swahili, Kifulero, Kihave, Mashi, Kibembe

Adult female SGBV survivors

USAID project Report – available by request

Iraq

Arabic, Kurdish (Sorani and Bhadini)

Male and Female adult trauma survivors

USAID project Report – available by request

Tanzania (Nyarugusu Refugee Camp)

Swahili

Female adult refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo

 

Nepal

Nepali

Male and female torture survivors

Tol, W. A., I. H. Komproe, M. J. D. Jordans, S. B. Thapa, B. Sharma and J. T. V. M. de Jong (2009). "Brief multi-disciplinary treatment for torture survivors in Nepal: a naturalistic comparative study." International Journal of Social Psychiatry 55(1): 39-56.

2. Hesbacher PT, Rickels K, Morris RJ, Newman H, Rosenfeld H. Psychiatric illness in family practice. J Clin Psychiatry 1980;41:6-10; Winokur A, Winokur DF, Rickels K, Cox DS. Symptoms of emotional distress in a family planning service: stability over a four-week period. Br J Psychiatry 1984;144:395-399.

 

Harvard Trauma Questionnaire Posttraumatic Stress Measure (HTQ; 16-items) 3

Country

Language(s)

Population we used it with

Adaptation/Validation Study

Democratic Republic of Congo

Swahili, Kifulero, Kihavu, Mashi, Kibembe

Adult female SGBV survivors

USAID project Report – available by request

Myanmar

Burmese, Kayin, Kachin

Male and Female adult trauma survivors

Adaptation and testing of psychosocial assessment instruments for cross-cultural use: an example from the Thailand Burma border. Haroz EE, Bass JK, Lee C, Murray LK, Robinson C, Bolton P. BMC psychology. 2014; 2(1):31.

Iraq

Arabic, Kurdish (Sorani and Bhadini)

Male and Female adult trauma survivors

USAID project Report – available by request

Tanzania (Nyarugusu refugee camp)

Swahili

Female adult refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Forthcoming

Uganda (Juba Arabic)*

South Sudanese Refugees

Forthcoming

3. Mollica RF, Caspi-Yavin Y, Bollini P, Truong T, Tor S, Lavelle J. The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Validating a cross-cultural instrument for measuring torture, trauma, and posttraumatic stress disorder in Indochinese refugees. J Nerv Ment Dis 1992;180:111-116.

Country

Language(s)

Population we used it with

Adaptation/Validation Study

Myanmar

Burmese, Kayin

Male and Female adult general population

Nguyen AJ, Lee C, Haroz E, Murray L, Bolton P.  Psychosocial assessment of conflict-affected people in Karen State, Myanmar: Development and testing of a locally adapted instrument. In prep.

Ukraine

Russian

Adult Male and Female internally displaced populations and veterans

Doty SB, Haroz EE, Singh NS, Bodganov S, Bass JK, Murray LK, Callaway KL & Bolton PA. Development and validation of an assessment for mental health and alcohol use problems among conflict-affected people in Ukraine. [under review at Conflict and Health]

4. E. E. Haroz, J. Bass, C. Lee, S. S. Oo, K. Lin, B. Kohrt, L. Michalopolous, A. J. Nguyen and P. Bolton. (2017) Development and cross-cultural testing of the International Depression Symptom Scale (IDSS): A measurement instrument designed to represent global presentations of depression. Global Mental Health. doi:10.1017/gmh.2017.16.
 

WHO Measures

Measure

Country (Language)

Population we used it with

Adaptation/ Validation   Study 

WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS)*5

Uganda (Juba Arabic)

South Sudanese Refugees

Forthcoming

WHO 5 Well Being Index*6

Uganda (Juba Arabic)

South Sudanese Refugees

Forthcoming

5. World Health Organization. (1988). WHO psychiatric disability assessment schedule (WHO/DAS).
6. Staehr, J. K. (1998). The use of well-being measures in primary health care-the DepCare project. World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe: Well-Being Measures in Primary Health Care-the DepCare Project. Geneva: World Health Organization.


Other Measures

Measure

Country (Language)

Population we used it with

Adaptation/Validation Study

Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS)7

Democratic Republic of Congo

(Lingala)

Perinatal women

Post-partum depression in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: validation of a concept using a mixed-methods cross-cultural approach. Bass JK, Ryder RW, Lammers MC, Mukaba TN, Bolton PA. Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH. 2008; 13(12):1534-42.

PTSD-RI8*

Zambia (Nyanja)

Children

Validation of the UCLA Child Post traumatic stress disorder-reaction index in Zambia. Murray LK, Bass J, Chomba E, Imasiku M, Thea D, Semrau K, Cohen JA, Lam C, Bolton P. International journal of mental health systems. 2011; 5(1):24.

Shame Measure9 ?

Zambia (Nyanja)

Children

Testing the validity and reliability of the shame questionnaire among sexually abused girls in Zambia. Michalopoulos LT, Murray LK, Kane JC, Skavenski van Wyk S, Chomba E, Cohen J, Imasiku M, Semrau K, Unick J, Bolton PA. PLoS One. 2015 Apr 16;10(4):e0123820.

Child Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale Interview format (CPSS-I)10 

Ethiopia (Somali)

Zambia

Refugee youth

The importance of establishing reliability and validity of assessment instruments for mental health problems: An example from Somali children and adolescents living in three refugee camps in Ethiopia. Hall BJ, Puffer E, Murray LK, Ismael A, Bass JK, Sim A, Bolton PA. Psychological injury and law. 2014; 7(2):153-164.

Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST)11

Zambia (Nyanja)

Youth – Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Validation of a substance and alcohol use assessment instrument among orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia using Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI). Kane JC, Murray LK, Bass JK, Johnson RM, Bolton P. Drug and alcohol dependence. 2016; 166:85-92.

Youth Self-Report*12

Georgia (Georgian)

Zambia

Street Youth

Bolton P, Murray L, Kippen S, Bass J. (2007) Assessment of urban street children and children living in government institutions in Georgia: development and testing of a locally-adapted psychosocial assessment instrument. USAID Development Clearinghouse

Psychological Outcomes Profile (PSYCHLOPS)* 13

Uganda (Juba Arabic)

South Sudanese Refugees

Forthcoming

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)* 14

Uganda (Juba Arabic)

South Sudanese Refugees

Forthcoming

Abbreviated PTSD Checklist, civilian version (PCL-C-6)* 15

Uganda (Juba Arabic)

South Sudanese Refugees

Forthcoming

Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ)*16

Uganda (Juba Arabic)

South Sudanese Refugees

Forthcoming

Kessler 6 Scale for Psychological Distress (K6)*17

Uganda (Juba Arabic)

South Sudanese Refugees

Forthcoming

 
7. Cox, J.L., Holden, J.M., and Sagovsky, R. 1987. Detection of postnatal depression: Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. British Journal of Psychiatry 150:782-786.
8. Steinberg, A. M., Brymer, M., Decker, K., Pynoos, R. S. (2004). The University of California at Los Angeles Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index. Current Psychiatry Reports, 6: 96-100.
9. Feiring C, Taska LS (2005) The persistence of shame following sexual abuse: A longitudinal look at risk and recovery. Child Maltreat 10(4): 337–349.
10. Foa EB, Johnson KM, Feeny NC, Treadwell KRH. The Child PTSD Symptom Scale: A preliminary examination of its psychometric properties. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. 2001;30(3):376–384.
11. Group, W. A. W. (2002), The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST): development, reliability and feasibility. Addiction, 97: 1183–1194. doi:10.1046/j.1360-0443.2002.00185.x.
12. Achenbach TM. Manual for the Youth Self-Report and 1991 profile. Burlington: Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont; 1991. 
13. Ashworth, M., Shepherd, M., Christey, J., Matthews, V., Wright, K., Parmentier, H., . . . Godfrey, E. (2004). A client-generated psychometric instrument: The development of ‘PSYCHLOPS’. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 4(2), 27-31. doi:10.1080/14733140412331383913.
14. Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW. Patient Health Questionnaire Study Group. Validity and utility of a self-report version of PRIME-MD: the PHQ Primary Care Study.JAMA. 1999;282: 1737–44.
15. Lang, A.J., Stein, M.B. (2005) An abbreviated PTSD checklist for use as a screening instrument in primary care. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43, 585-594.
16. Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., Wilson, K. G., Bissett, R. T., Pistorello, J., Toarmino, D., Polusny, M., A., Dykstra, T. A., Batten, S. V., Bergan, J., Stewart, S. H., Zvolensky, M. J., Eifert, G. H., Bond, F. W., Forsyth J. P., Karekla, M., & McCurry, S. M. (2004). Measuring experiential avoidance: A preliminary test of a working model. The Psychological Record, 54, 553-578.
17. Furukawa, T. A., Kessler, R. C., Slade, T., & Andrews, G. (2003). The performance of the K6 and K10 screening scales for psychological distress in the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. Psychological medicine, 33(2), 357-362.