Abstract
Increasingly more self-report measures of psychological distress are used as screening tools in mental health care for treatment planning and routing outcome monitoring. Research on the psychometric properties and utility of these measures in individuals with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF) are limited, even though this target group accounts for a large proportion of individuals treated in mental health care services. The aim of the present study was to explore the psychometric properties of the SQ-48, a self-report on psychological distress, when used in adults with MID-BIF. The SQ-48 was administered to 213 patients of two specialist mental health services for MID-BIF in the Netherlands. A second administration took place after three weeks in a test?retest design (N = 24). Results: The SQ-48 has adequate internal consistency, discriminant validity, test?retest reliability, and factor structure when used in adults with MID-BIF. This study provides preliminary evidence that the limitations in intellectual and adaptive functioning in people with MID-BIF do not influence the reliability and validity of the SQ-48 and can be used reliably in this population.
