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About the National Data
Data
Data Source: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), CDC/NCHS
Baseline: 22.0 percent of adults with disabilities aged 18 years and over experienced serious psychological distress in 2018
Target: 7.6 percent
Methodology
Questions used to obtain the national baseline data
National Health Interview Survey, 2018
Numerator:
Item responses are scored using a 5-point scale: "none of the time," "a little of the time," "some of the time," "most of the time," and "all of the time."
During the PAST 30 DAYS, how often did you feel:So sad that nothing could cheer you up?
Nervous?
Restless or fidgety?
Hopeless?
That everything was an effort?
Worthless?
Denominator:
The next questions ask about difficulties you may have doing certain activities because of a HEALTH PROBLEM.
- Do you have difficulty seeing, even if wearing glasses?
- No – no difficulty
- Yes – some difficulty
- Yes – a lot of difficulty
- Cannot do at all
- Do you have difficulty hearing, even if using a hearing aid?
- No – no difficulty
- Yes – some difficulty
- Yes – a lot of difficulty
- Cannot do at all
- Do you have difficulty walking or climbing steps?
- No – no difficulty
- Yes – some difficulty
- Yes – a lot of difficulty
- Cannot do at all
- Do you have difficulty remembering or concentrating?
- No – no difficulty
- Yes – some difficulty
- Yes – a lot of difficulty
- Cannot do at all
- Do you have difficulty (with self-care such as) washing all over or dressing?
- No – no difficulty
- Yes – some difficulty
- Yes – a lot of difficulty
- Cannot do at all
- Using your usual (customary) language, do you have difficulty communicating, for example understanding or being understood?
- No – no difficulty
- Yes – some difficulty
- Yes – a lot of difficulty
- Cannot do at all
Methodology notes
The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a household survey of children and adults. Through personal interviews, NHIS collects information on a broad range of health topics, including health insurance, doctor's office visits, physical activity and other health behaviors. The information collected is used to track the health status of U.S. populations, healthcare access, and progress toward achieving national health objectives. Conducted annually, NHIS is sponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics. An adult is considered to have symptoms of psychological distress if the adult or an adult proxy responds "yes" to "ALL of the time" or "MOST of the time" to any of the numerator questions for adults. The six adult questions reflect the Kessler 6 (K6) scale, which is used internationally to assess feelings of sadness, restlessness, hopelessness, nervousness, worthlessness, and the sense that everything is an effort. Positive responses increase the score. This scale has the sensitivity and specificity to effectively discriminate between cases and non-cases of mood disorders, but it cannot define which specific disorder (such as clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder) that any given respondent to the survey may have. With total scores ranging from 0 to 24, a standard cutoff score of 13 or higher on the K6 has been used to identify persons with nonspecific serious psychological distress.
Age-adjustment notes
This Indicator uses Age-Adjustment Groups:
- Total: 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
- Sex: 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
- Race/Ethnicity: 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
- Educational Attainment: 25-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
- Family Income (percent poverty threshold): 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
- Health Insurance Status: 18-44, 45-54, 55-64
- Geographic Location: 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
- Marital Status: 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
- Country of Birth: 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
- Veteran Status: 20-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
- Sexual Orientation: 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
