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Evaluating Psychological Distress in Adolescence: The Italian Validation of the Social Emotional Distress Scale‑Secondary Level

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Title: Evaluating Psychological Distress in Adolescence: The Italian Validation of the Social Emotional Distress Scale‑Secondary Level
Language: English
Authors: Elide Francesca De Caro, Agostino Brugnera, Valeria Donisi, Laura Salerno, Antonino La Tona, Silvia Poli, Cecilia Giordano, Claudia Mazzeschi, Elisa Delvecchio (ORCID 0000-0003-3519-5445)
Source: School Mental Health. 2026 18(1):124-136.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Mental Health, Mental Disorders, Adolescents, Test Validity, Social Influences, Emotional Problems, Psychometrics, Gender Differences, High School Students, Test Reliability, Stress Variables, Correlation, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Italy
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Satisfaction With Life Scale
DOI: 10.1007/s12310-025-09833-3
ISSN: 1866-2625
1866-2633
Abstract: Social-emotional distress during school years is associated with negative effects on mental health. Schools are an important context for screening social and emotional problems. Therefore, there is a need for a brief, valid and reliable assessment tool that can be used in the school setting to detect social-emotional problems at an early stage. The aim of the present study was to validate the Social Emotional Distress Scale ‑ Secondary Level (SEDS-S) and to examine its psychometric properties and invariance across sex and time in an Italian sample of adolescents. Participants were 1210 (57.7% female) high school students aged 15-18 years (M = 16.40, SD = 1.12) who gave valid responses on the SEDS-S at baseline (T0), 858 of whom completed the questionnaire after an interval of 5 months (T1). The results confirmed the one-factor structure of the SEDS-S, which also showed good reliability and stability over time as well as invariance by sex and across time points. When examining between-sex differences, we found that girls exhibited higher social-emotional distress than boys. A strong correlation with emotional problems provided support for convergent validity, while discriminant validity resulted from the modest and weak correlations with externalising symptoms as well as the negative association with well-being. Overall, the results support the validity of the Italian version of the SEDS-S as a suitable school-based assessment tool for measuring social-emotional problems for screening purposes during school years.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1512138
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Evaluating Psychological Distress in Adolescence: The Italian Validation of the Social Emotional Distress Scale‑Secondary Level
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Elide+Francesca+De+Caro%22">Elide Francesca De Caro</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Agostino+Brugnera%22">Agostino Brugnera</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Valeria+Donisi%22">Valeria Donisi</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Laura+Salerno%22">Laura Salerno</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Antonino+La+Tona%22">Antonino La Tona</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Silvia+Poli%22">Silvia Poli</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cecilia+Giordano%22">Cecilia Giordano</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Claudia+Mazzeschi%22">Claudia Mazzeschi</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Elisa+Delvecchio%22">Elisa Delvecchio</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3519-5445">0000-0003-3519-5445</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22School+Mental+Health%22"><i>School Mental Health</i></searchLink>. 2026 18(1):124-136.
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  Data: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1007/s12310-025-09833-3
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  Data: 1866-2625<br />1866-2633
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  Data: Social-emotional distress during school years is associated with negative effects on mental health. Schools are an important context for screening social and emotional problems. Therefore, there is a need for a brief, valid and reliable assessment tool that can be used in the school setting to detect social-emotional problems at an early stage. The aim of the present study was to validate the Social Emotional Distress Scale ‑ Secondary Level (SEDS-S) and to examine its psychometric properties and invariance across sex and time in an Italian sample of adolescents. Participants were 1210 (57.7% female) high school students aged 15-18 years (M = 16.40, SD = 1.12) who gave valid responses on the SEDS-S at baseline (T0), 858 of whom completed the questionnaire after an interval of 5 months (T1). The results confirmed the one-factor structure of the SEDS-S, which also showed good reliability and stability over time as well as invariance by sex and across time points. When examining between-sex differences, we found that girls exhibited higher social-emotional distress than boys. A strong correlation with emotional problems provided support for convergent validity, while discriminant validity resulted from the modest and weak correlations with externalising symptoms as well as the negative association with well-being. Overall, the results support the validity of the Italian version of the SEDS-S as a suitable school-based assessment tool for measuring social-emotional problems for screening purposes during school years.
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