Validity of the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire in detecting depression in the general population

Although many Western studies examining the mental health of welfare recipients exist, Japanese welfare recipients have been overlooked. This study investigated mental health among welfare recipients in Japan and relations with a sense of deprivation of life's necessities and social support. Participants ( n = 305) completed the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), Proportional Deprivation Index, and a social support scale. Participants' GHQ-12 scores exceeded those of the general public, as 54.9% scored above the cut-off, suggesting poorer mental health among welfare recipients than the general population. Proportional Deprivation Index and emotional support from relatives and friends were associated with GHQ-12 scores. These results suggest that while chronic deprivation is associated with poorer mental health among welfare recipients, receiving emotional support may help cope with distress and maintain mental health.

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The Beck Depression Inventory and General Health Questionnaire as measures of depression in the general population: A validation study using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview as the gold standard

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/j.psychres.2011.09.008 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 197 (1-2) ◽

pp. 163-171 ◽

Cited By ~ 83

Author(s):

Anna-Mari Aalto ◽

Marko Elovainio ◽

Mika Kivimäki ◽

Antti Uutela ◽

Sami Pirkola

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Beck Depression Inventory ◽

Validation Study ◽

Gold Standard ◽

General Health ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Composite International Diagnostic Interview ◽

Diagnostic Interview ◽

Health Questionnaire

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Stratum-specific likelihood ratios of the General Health Questionnaire in the community: help-seeking and physical co-morbidity affect the test characteristics

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291702005494 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 743-748 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

T. A. FURUKAWA ◽

G. ANDREWS ◽

D. P. GOLDBERG

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

General Population ◽

National Survey ◽

General Health ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Questionnaire ◽

Likelihood Ratios ◽

Primary Care Settings ◽

Co Morbidity

Background. In evidence-based medicine, stratum-specific likelihood ratios (SSLRs) are now being increasingly recognized as a more convenient and generalizable method to interpret diagnostic information than an optimal cut-off and its associated sensitivity and specificity. We previously examined the SSLRs of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in primary care settings. The present paper aims to examine if these SSLRs are generalizable to the community settings.Methods. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and the GHQ were administered on a representative sample of the Australian population in the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. We first compared the SSLRs of GHQ in urban Australia with the estimates that we had previously obtained from the developed urban centres in the WHO Psychological Problems in General Health Care study. If the SSLRs in the community were found to differ significantly from those in the primary care, we sought for explanatory variables.Results. The SSLRs in urban Australia and in the urban centres in the WHO study were significantly different for three out of the six strata. When we limited the sample to those with physical problems who visited a health professional, however, the SSLRs in the Australian study were strikingly close to those observed for primary care settings.Conclusions. Different sets of SSLRs apply to primary care and general population samples. For general population surveys in developed countries, the results of the Australian National Survey represent the currently available best estimates. For developing countries or rural areas, the results are less definitive and an investigator may wish to conduct a pilot study.

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