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Distress – Weinberger Adjustment Inventory
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About Distress – Weinberger Adjustment Inventory
Scale Name
Distress – Weinberger Adjustment Inventory
Author Details
Daniel A. Weinberger and Gary E. Schwartz
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Distress scale, part of the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI), developed by Daniel A. Weinberger and Gary E. Schwartz in 1990 (copyright 1991), is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure global psychological distress, encompassing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and low well-being. The WAI, a multidimensional measure of social-emotional adjustment, was created to assess distress and restraint as superordinate dimensions, with the Distress scale focusing on internal emotional struggles. The scale was validated among sixth-grade students (ages 11-12) in urban settings, particularly in a longitudinal study of mostly African-American youth, as reported by Feldman and Weinberger (1994). It aligns with a typological approach to personality, identifying adjustment styles (e.g., reactive, repressive) that predict behavioral outcomes like delinquency or drug use.
The Distress scale comprises 29 items across four subscales: Anxiety (e.g., “I worry too much about things that aren’t important”), Depression (e.g., “I feel sad most of the time”), Low Self-Esteem (e.g., “I’m not very sure of myself”), and Low Well-Being (e.g., “I don’t enjoy things as much as I used to”). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = “false” to 5 = “true”), with higher scores (range: 29-145) indicating greater psychological distress. Validated in urban school samples, the scale is used to identify emotional risk factors and their links to problem behaviors. Its brevity and readability make it suitable for adolescents with varying literacy levels, though its focus on distress may require careful administration to avoid discomfort.
Psychologists, educators, and researchers use the Distress scale to screen for emotional difficulties, evaluate mental health interventions, and study the interplay of distress with externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression, delinquency) in urban youth. Its strong internal consistency and cross-cultural validations enhance its utility, though its English-only primary use, specific age focus, and self-report nature may limit broader application.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain a copy of the WAI Distress scale from primary sources, such as Weinberger and Schwartz (1990) in Journal of Personality or Feldman and Weinberger (1994) in Child Development, or authorized distributors like Western Psychological Services, ensuring copyright permissions (Copyright © 1991).
- Explain the purpose to respondents, noting that it assesses feelings and thoughts to support mental health and adjustment, emphasizing confidentiality and using age-appropriate language for sixth graders.
- Provide instructions, asking students to rate each of the 29 items based on how much the statements describe their feelings or behaviors over the past six months, using the 5-point scale.
- Approximate time for completion is 10-15 minutes, depending on reading ability and emotional processing.
- Administer in a classroom, counseling, or research setting, using paper or digital formats, ensuring a private, supportive environment to promote honest responses. For younger students or those with reading difficulties, oral administration may be used.
Reliability and Validity
The Distress scale demonstrates good psychometric properties, as reported by Feldman and Weinberger (1994). Internal consistency is robust, with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.77, 0.68, and 0.73 across three urban sixth-grade samples, indicating moderate to strong item cohesion, though the lower alpha (0.68) may reflect sample variability or subscale differences. Test-retest reliability is not explicitly reported but is inferred to be moderate based on the WAI’s longitudinal use in RYDS and other studies.
Convergent validity is supported by correlations with related measures, such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scales for depression (Scale 2), psychopathic deviate (Scale 4), and anxiety (Scale 7) (r ≈ 0.50-0.70), and with externalizing behaviors like delinquency (r ≈ 0.40-0.60) in urban adolescents. Discriminant validity is evidenced by weaker correlations with unrelated constructs, such as academic performance (r < 0.30). Criterion validity is demonstrated by its ability to predict problem behaviors (e.g., drug use, aggression) and its sensitivity to family influences on distress, as shown in Feldman and Weinberger (1994). Factor analyses confirm a four-factor structure (Anxiety, Depression, Low Self-Esteem, Low Well-Being), supporting construct validity. These properties affirm the scale’s reliability and utility in urban adolescent research, though its moderate reliability in some samples suggests cautious interpretation.
Available Versions
12-Items
Reference
Weinberger, D. A., & Schwartz, G. E. (1990). Distress and restraint as superordinate dimensions of self‐reported adjustment: A typological perspective. Journal of personality, 58(2), 381-417.
Feldman, S. S., & Weinberger, D. A. (1994). Self‐restraint as a mediator of family influences on boys’ delinquent behavior: A longitudinal study. Child Development, 65(1), 195-211.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Distress scale measure?
It measures global psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and low well-being.
Who can use the scale?
Psychologists, educators, and researchers studying emotional adjustment in urban youth.
How long does the scale take to complete?
It takes about 10-15 minutes.
Is the scale specific to sixth graders?
Yes, it was validated in urban sixth-grade students, though adaptable to other adolescents.
Can the scale inform mental health interventions?
Yes, it identifies emotional risks for targeted support, with good reliability.
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