Validating a Brief Student Distress Measure For Schoolwide Wellness Surveillance

The original Social Emotional Distress Survey–Secondary (SEDS-S) assesses adolescents’ past month’s experiences of psychological distress. Given the continued need for and use brief measures student social-emotional distress, this study examined a five-item version (SEDS-S-Brief) to evaluate its surveillance wellness in schools. Three samples completed SEDS-S-Brief. Sample 1 was cross-sectional sample 105,771 students from 113 California secondary schools; responses were used examine validity evidence based on internal structure. 2 consisted 10,770 who also Health Survey-Secondary-2020, Mental Continuum–Short Form, Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale, selected Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance items (chronic sadness suicidal ideation). relations other variables. 3 773 SEDS-S-Brief annually years, providing response stability coefficients. invariant across sex, grade level, Latinx status, supporting diverse groups Additional analyses indicated moderate strong convergent discriminant characteristics 1- 2-year temporal stability. findings advance field toward comprehensive mental health practices inform services youth