Examination of Behavioural Patterns of Psychological Distress and Evaluation of Related Factors

Objectives: Psychological Distress (PD) is a unique and suffering emotional state in response to a stressor or specific need that leads to temporary or permanent impacts. Due to its negative effects on several features of life like the quality of life, health, performance, and productivity of individuals, PD and its consequences  are considered as a public health priority. In this study, we aim to identify the behavioral pattern of PD in the population of 18 to 65 years old in Mashhad using latent class regression and evaluate the related factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 425286 individuals aged 18 to 65, who were referred to health centers in Mashhad, northeastern Iran in the first half of 2018. The information required for this study including a checklist of demographic information and the Six Item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (k-6) was obtained from the Sina system. Results: Latent class regression identified three latent patterns of PD in answering the questions of the K-6 questionnaire, including severe PD (14%), low PD distress (40%), and no PD (46%). Statistical variables of this study due to the results are considered as the following; women, illiterate people, unemployed and divorced people, individuals aged between 50-59 years old, and people with low weight were more likely to be in severe PD class than no PD class. Conclusion: Although a small percentage of people were classified as severely disturbed, the findings showed a high rate of symptoms of distress and sadness even in the no PD class. 
Keywords: Cross-Sectional Studies, Psychological Distress, Latent Class Analysis, Iran