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The K10 questionnaire measures non-specific psychological distress based onquestions about negative emotional states experienced in the four weeks prior tointerview. For the 2004-05 NATSIHS, the K10 was reduced to five questions (K5)to provide the best set of questions to identify psychological distress (ABS 2006).Indigenous people aged 18 years and over were asked the K5 questions.The SF–36 Health Survey questions are about positive emotional states experiencedin the four weeks prior to interview. The 2004-05 NATSIHS included four SF–36Health Survey questions on feeling calm and peaceful, happy, full of life, andhaving a lot of energy (ABS 2006). These questions were not included in the2004-05 NHS.Questions about cultural identification and stressors were also included in thesurvey to provide a context for mental distress (ABS 2006).Figure 9.4.1 K5 level of psychological distress, people aged 18 years andover, age standardised, 2004-05a, b, c10080IndigenousNon-IndigenousPer cent6040200Low/moderate distress levelHigh/very high distress levela Error bars represent 95 per cent confidence intervals around each estimate (see chapter 2 for moreinformation). b Low/moderate distress level represents a K5 score of 5–11. c High/very high distress levelrepresents a K5 score of 12–25.Source: ABS 2004-05 NATSIHS (unpublished); ABS 2004-05 NHS (unpublished); table 9A.4.5.• The results of the K5 are grouped into two categories — low to moderate(indicating little or no psychological distress) and high to very high levels ofpsychological distress. A very high level of psychological distress, may indicatea need for professional help (ABS 2006).• In 2004-05, after adjusting for age differences between the Indigenous andnon-Indigenous populations, 26.6 per cent of Indigenous people had experienceda high to very high level of distress compared with 13.1 per cent ofnon-Indigenous people (figure 9.4.1).FUNCTIONAL ANDRESILIENT FAMILIESAND COMMUNITIES