The General Health Questionnaire: how many items are really necessary in population surveys?

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 957-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. K. Jacobsen ◽  
T. Hasvold ◽  
G. Høyer ◽  
V. Hansen
Keyword(s):  
General Health ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Population Surveys ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Cross Sectional Studies

SYNOPSISThis paper seeks to investigate whether only a few questions selected from the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) may be used to measure the degree of mental distress in population surveys. Data from 2112 men and women, 18 to 70 years old from two cross-sectional studies conducted in northern Norway and the island of Spitzbergen in the Arctic, were used. Correlation analysis of Likert scores from a 20-item version of GHQ (GHQ-20) with Likert scores based on four and six items selected by multiple regression analysis or by competent physicians was performed. The correlation coefficients between the scores from the subsets of four items and the full GHQ-20 questionnaire were high (greater than 0·80) in all examined subgroups of the populations. Increasing the number of questions from four to six only marginally increased the correlation coefficients. Thus, a simple linear sum of Likert scores based on a few GHQ items can be used to measure the degree of mental distress in population surveys.

scholarly journals Resiliencia asociada a factores de salud mental y sociodemográficos en enfermeros mexicanos durante COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Reyna Jazmín Martínez Arriaga ◽  
Leivy Patricia González Ramírez ◽  
Nancy Evelyn Navarro Ruiz ◽  
José María De la Roca -Chiapas ◽  
Oscar Ulises Reynoso González
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Salud Mental ◽  
Low Levels

Introducción: El personal de enfermería es uno de los grupos más afectados por la actual pandemia por COVID-19. Se han reportado problemas de salud mental en esta población, sin embargo, también es importante estudiar la resiliencia, para identificar sus fortalezas. El objetivo de este estudio fue estudiar la resiliencia en enfermeros mexicanos y los factores sociodemográficos y de salud mental asociados a ella. Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal.Método: Se envió vía online un cuestionario sociodemográfico y relacionado a COVID-19, así como el Inventario de Resiliencia y el Cuestionario General de Salud-28. Se incluyeron 556 enfermeros, la mayoría fueron mujeres (80%), solteras (60.8%) y con edades entre 26-35 años (38.3%).Resultados: Se encontraron niveles bajos de resiliencia en los enfermeros más jóvenes (p<0.001, ɳ2=0.05), solteros (p<0.001, ɳ2=0.02) y con menor nivel educativo (p=0.001, ɳ2=0.02). Los predictores de resiliencia fueron la búsqueda de información sobre salud mental (β =-0.152, p <0.001), nivel educativo más alto (β = 0.142, p<0.001), niveles bajos de depresión (β=-0.307, p<0.001) y bajos niveles de disfunción social (β =-0.261, p<0.001).Conclusión: Estos hallazgos permiten identificar los factores asociados a la resiliencia en los enfermeros y cómo estos juegan un rol muy importante en su salud mental. Asimismo, estos datos permiten la identificación de grupos con mayor riesgo psicosocial, con la finalidad de guiar estrategias en salud mental orientadas a aumentar la resiliencia. Introduction: Nursing personnel are one of the groups which have been most affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Although mental health problems have been reported in this population, it is important to study resilience, in order to identify its strengths. The purpose was to study resilience in Mexican nurses and the mental health and sociodemographic factors associated with it. A cross-sectional study was used. Method: A sociodemographic and COVID-19 related questionnaire, the Resilience Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire-28, was sent via online. 556 nurses were included, the majority were women (80%), single (60.8%), aged between 26-35 years (38.3%). Results: Lower resilience was found among nurses who were younger (p<0.001, ɳ2=0.05), single (p<0.001, ɳ2=0.02) and with lower levels of education (p=0.001, ɳ2=0.02). Predictors of resilience included the search for mental health information (β =-0.152, p <0.001), higher education (β = 0.142, p<0.001), low levels of depression (β=-0.307, p<0.001) and low levels of social dysfunction (β =-0.261, p<0.001). Conclusion: This findings allowed to identify the factors which are associated with resilience among nurses and how this plays an important role in their mental. Likewise, this data allows for the identification of high psychosocial risk groups, to better guide mental health strategies aimed at increasing resilience. Resumo:Introdução:O pessoal de enfermagem é um dos grupos mais afetados pela atual pandemia de COVID-19. Problemas de saúde mental têm sido relatados nessa população, porém também é importante estudar a resiliência, para identificar seus pontos fortes. O objetivo deste estudo foi estudar a resiliência em enfermeiras mexicanas e os fatores sociodemográficos e de saúde mental a ela associados. Foi realizado um estudo transversal.Método:Um questionário sociodemográfico relacionado ao COVID-19 foi enviado online, assim como o Resilience Inventory e o General Health Questionnaire-28. Foram incluídos 556 enfermeiros, a maioria mulheres (80%), solteiros (60,8%) e com idade entre 26-35 anos (38,3%).Resultados:Baixos níveis de resiliência foram encontrados nos enfermeiros mais jovens (p <0,001, ɳ2 = 0,05), solteiros (p <0,001, ɳ2 = 0,02) e com menor escolaridade (p = 0,001, ɳ2 = 0,02). Os preditores de resiliência foram a busca por informações sobre saúde mental (β = -0,152, p <0,001), maior escolaridade (β = 0,142, p <0,001), baixos níveis de depressão (β = -0,307, p <0,001 ) e baixos níveis de disfunção social (β = -0,261, p <0,001).Conclusão:Esses achados permitem identificar os fatores associados à resiliência em enfermeiros e como eles desempenham um papel muito importante em sua saúde mental. Da mesma forma, esses dados permitem identificar grupos de maior risco psicossocial, a fim de nortear estratégias de saúde mental que visem aumentar a resiliência.

The psychological signs of the patients who receive treatment in the general clinic

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s508-s508
Author(s):  
L. Utas Akahn
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Surgery ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Adjustment Process ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Paranoid Ideation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Receive Treatment

BackgroundFor most of the physical illnesses, behavioral, emotional, cognitive and inter-personal reactions develop. These psychiatric conditions and reactions are actually the adjustment process of the organism.ObjectivesStudy is conducted in order to identify the psychiatric signs as well as findings of the patients who receive treatment in the general services of hospitals.MethodsThe study was carried out with a total of 500 patients who receive treatment in the general service of a hospital of a ministry of health in Turkey between February and May in 2015 by descriptive cross-sectional method. For collecting the data; patient charts, SCL 90-Rand general health questionnaire as well as hospital anxiety and depression scale were utilized. Kolmogorov Smirnov Normality test was applied for the average SCL90R and general health. Questionnaire, as a result of the test, it was detected that both scales did not meet the assumption of normality Therefore, Kruskal Wallis test of non-parametric was used.ResultsThe study showed no significant difference among the lengths of stay in the hospital according to the average SCL90-R and general health questionnaire It was observed that the patients in the cardiology, neurology, and plastic surgery departments had a higher rate of signs of obsessive compulsive disorders; that the patients in the plastic surgery and internal diseases departments had a higher rate of depressive signs; that the patients in the neurology and plastic surgery departments had a higher rate of paranoid ideation; and that the patients in the neurology service had a higher rate of psychoticism.ConclusionsOverall, it has been observed that the patients hospitalized in the neurology and plastic surgery services had more physiological signs compared to those receiving treatment in the other services.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.

Validity of the General Health Questionnaire in a Yugoslav student population

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 205-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Radovanović ◽  
L. J. Erić
Keyword(s):  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Mental Impairment ◽  
Valid Instrument ◽  
Psychological Impairment

SynopsisThe General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was shown to be a valid instrument for the screening of psychological impairment in a defined population of Yugoslav students. Optimal indices of validity were obtained by the use of the 60-item version of the GHQ and a cut-off score of 13/14. The product-moment correlation coefficients between clinical ratings of severity of mental impairment and GHQ scores ranged from 0·71 to 0·78.

Social class and minor psychiatric disorder in British Civil Servants: a validated screening survey using the General Health Questionnaire

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 739-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Stansfeld ◽  
M. G. Marmot
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Clear Cut

SynopsisMajor psychiatric disorder is more common in people of lower rather than higher socioeconomic status. This is less clear for the commoner, so-called minor psychiatric disorders, but these are more affected by tendency to report symptoms. To examine this the distribution of minor psychiatric disorder by employment grade measured by the 30-item General Health Questionnaire is reported from the first cross-sectional phase of the Whitehall II Study of 10314 London-based civil servants, men and women between 35 and 55 years. Validation of the GHQ in a random subsample stratified by grade and sex (N = 201) suggested that people in lower employment grades tend to under-report minor psychiatric disorder on the GHQ relative to those in higher employment grades. The prevalence of minor psychiatric disorder corrected by the coefficients from the validity study was greater in the lower employment grades than the higher employment grades particularly for men. This was echoed in grade differences in well-being measured by the Affect Balance Scale, and in symptoms and recurrent health problems. Overall, for women there were few clear-cut differences in minor psychiatric disorder by employment grade. The lack of social class gradient in women suggests that further exploration should examine women's role at work and their personal lives for the aetiology of minor psychiatric disorder.

scholarly journals Validation of the structural coherency of the General Health Questionnaire

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hudson Wander de Carvalho ◽  
Christopher J. Patrick ◽  
Miguel Roberto Jorge ◽  
Sérgio Baxter Andreoli
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
General Health ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Developmental Study ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the structural coherency of the 60-item version of the General Health Questionnaire via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. METHOD: The study design is a cross-sectional survey. A random sample of 146 individuals from the city of Divinópolis-MG volunteered to participate in the present study and responded to the 60-item version of the General Health Questionnaire adapted and validated for use in Brazil. Statistics consisted of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was estimated using Cronbach's alpha method. RESULTS: Alpha coefficients for all five content scales of the General Health Questionnaire were high (α > 0.8). For four of the five scales, a unifactorial model of constituent items provided a good fit to the data. Items comprising the fifth scale, Psychic Stress, exhibited a two-correlated factor structure. A factor analysis of scores for the five scales yielded strong evidence of coherency, with all scales loading substantially on a single common factor. CONCLUSION: The General Health Questionnaire shows good psychometric coherency as evidenced by high internal consistency and unidimensionality of all but one of its constituent scales, and uniformly high loadings of all scales on a single overarching factor. These results are consistent with prior findings from the General Health Questionnaire developmental study and Brazilian adaptation studies.

Types of social support as predictors of psychiatric morbidity in a cohort of British Civil Servants (Whitehall II Study)

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 881-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. STANSFELD ◽  
R. FUHRER ◽  
M. J. SHIPLEY
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Good Mental Health

Background. Few studies have examined prospectively both the direct and buffering effects of types of social support and social networks on mental health. This paper reports longitudinal associations between types of social support and psychiatric morbidity from the Whitehall II study.Methods. Social support was measured by the Close Persons Questionnaire and psychiatric morbidity by the General Health Questionnaire at baseline (1985–1988) and at first follow-up (1989) in 7697 male and female London-based civil servants aged 35–55 years at baseline. The cohort was followed up and baseline measures were used to predict psychiatric disorder measured by the General Health Questionnaire at second follow-up (1991–1993).Results. Longitudinal analyses showed that low confiding/emotional support in men and high negative aspects of close relationships in men and women were associated with greater risk of psychiatric morbidity even after adjustment for baseline General Health Questionnaire score. There was no evidence of a buffering effect among men or women who experienced life events or chronic stressors. Controlling for a personality measure of hostility did not affect the observed relations.Conclusions. The present findings illustrate that different types of support are risk factors for psychological distress and that they operate in different ways for men and women. Direct effects of emotional support are predictive of good mental health in men and negative aspects of close relations predict poor mental health in both men and women. Emotional support is predictive of good mental health in women whereas, confiding alone is not.

scholarly journals Mental Health of Medical and Non-Medical Professionals during the Peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Maciaszek ◽  
Marta Ciulkowicz ◽  
Blazej Misiak ◽  
Dorota Szczesniak ◽  
Dorota Luc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
The Impact

Background: The study aimed to compare psychopathological expressions during the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, as declared on March 11th 2020 by the World Health Organization, with respect to which institutional variables might distinguish the impact of COVID-19 in medical and non-medical professionals. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed nationwide between 16th March and the 26th April 2020 in Poland. A total of 2039 respondents representing all healthcare providers (59.8%) as well as other professionals filled in the sociodemographic section, the General Health Questionnaire-28 and the author’s questionnaire with questions related to exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the availability of protective measures, quarantine, change of working hours and place of employment during the pandemic, as well as feelings associated with the state of the pandemic. Results: Medical professionals more often presented with relevant psychopathological symptoms (GHQ-28 (General Health Questionnaire-28) total score >24) than the non-medical group (60.8% vs. 48.0%, respectively) such as anxiety, insomnia and somatic symptoms even after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Male sex, older age and appropriate protective equipment were associated with significantly lower GHQ-28 total scores in medical professionals, whereas among non-medical professionals, male sex was associated with significantly lower GHQ-28 total scores. Conclusions: Somatic and anxiety symptoms as well as insomnia are more prevalent among medical staff than workers in other professions. Targeting the determinants of these differences should be included in interventions aimed at restoring psychological well-being in this specific population. Apparently, there are present gender differences in psychological responses that are independent of profession.

The General Health Questionnaire and Eysenck's Three-Dimensional Model of Personality

2005 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 288-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie J. Francis ◽  
Mandy Robbins ◽  
Catherine F. Quigley ◽  
Christopher Alan Lewis
Keyword(s):  
General Health ◽  
Short Form ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Eysenck Personality Questionnaire ◽  
Personality Questionnaire ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Dimensional Model ◽  
Three Dimensional Model ◽  
Men And Women

A sample of 115 men and women between the ages of 20 and 60 completed the 30-item General Health Questionnaire together with the short-form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The data indicate psychological distress so assessed is correlated .43 ( p<.001) with Neuroticism and –.26 ( p<.01) with Introversion but is unrelated to Psychoticism scores.

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