Measuring Physical and Mental Health using the SF-12: Implications for Community Surveys of Mental Health

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 797-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Windsor ◽  
Bryan Rodgers ◽  
Peter Butterworth ◽  
Kaarin J. Anstey ◽  
Anthony F. Jorm
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Community Surveys ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
The Relationship

Objective: The effects of using different approaches to scoring the SF-12 summary scales of physical and mental health were examined with a view to informing the design and interpretation of community-based survey research. Method: Data from a population-based study of 7485 participants in three cohorts aged 20-24, 40-44 and 60-64 years were used to examine relationships among measures of physical and mental health calculated from the same items using the SF-12 and RAND12 approaches to scoring, and other measures of chronic physical conditions and psychological distress. Results: A measure of physical health constructed using the RAND-12 scoring showed a monotonic negative association with psychological distress as measured by the Goldberg depression and anxiety scales. However, a non-monotonic association was evident in the relationship between SF-12 physical health scores and distress, with very high SF-12 physical health scores corresponding with high levels of distress. These relationships highlight difficulties in interpretation that can arise when using the SF-12 summary scales in some analytical contexts. Conclusions: It is recommended that community surveys that measure physical and mental functioning using the SF-12 items generate summary scores using the RAND-12 protocol in addition to the SF-12 approach. In general, researchers should be wary of using factor scores based on orthogonal rotation, which assumes that measures are uncorrelated, to represent constructs that have an actual association.

scholarly journals The physical and mental health problems of refugee and migrant fathers: findings from an Australian population-based study of children and their families

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. e015603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Giallo ◽  
Elisha Riggs ◽  
Claire Lynch ◽  
Dannielle Vanpraag ◽  
Jane Yelland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
English Speaking

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to report on the physical and mental health of migrant and refugee fathers participating in a population-based study of Australian children and their families.DesignCross-sectional survey data drawn from a population-based longitudinal study when children were aged 4–5 years.SettingPopulation-based study of Australian children and their families.Participants8137 fathers participated in the study when their children were aged 4–5 years. There were 131 (1.6%) fathers of likely refugee background, 872 (10.7%) fathers who migrated from English-speaking countries, 1005 (12.4%) fathers who migrated from non-English-speaking countries and 6129 (75.3%) Australian-born fathers.Primary outcome measuresFathers’ psychological distress was assessed using the self-report Kessler-6. Information pertaining to physical health conditions, global or overall health, alcohol and tobacco use, and body mass index status was obtained.ResultsCompared with Australian-born fathers, fathers of likely refugee background (adjusted OR(aOR) 3.17, 95% CI 2.13 to 4.74) and fathers from non-English-speaking countries (aOR 1.79, 95%CI 1.51 to 2.13) had higher odds of psychological distress. Refugee fathers were more likely to report fair to poor overall health (aOR 1.95, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.60) and being underweight (aOR 3.49, 95% CI 1.57 to 7.74) compared with Australian-born fathers. Refugee fathers and those from non-English-speaking countries were less likely to report light (aOR 0.25, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.43, and aOR 0.30, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.37, respectively) and moderate to harmful alcohol use (aOR 0.04, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.17, and aOR 0.14, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.19, respectively) than Australian-born fathers. Finally, fathers from non-English-speaking and English-speaking countries were less likely to be overweight (aOR 0.62, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.75, and aOR 0.84, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.03, respectively) and obese (aOR 0.43, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.58, and aOR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.98, respectively) than Australian-born fathers.ConclusionFathers of refugee background experience poorer mental health and poorer general health than Australian-born fathers. Fathers who have migrated from non-English-speaking countries also report greater psychological distress than Australian-born fathers. This underscores the need for primary healthcare services to tailor efforts to reduce disparities in health outcomes for refugee populations that may be vulnerable due to circumstances and sequelae of forced migration and to recognise the additional psychological stresses that may accompany fatherhood following migration from non-English-speaking countries. It is important to note that refugee and migrant fathers report less alcohol use and are less likely to be overweight and obese than Australian-born fathers.

scholarly journals Investigation on the Physical and Mental Health of College Students Based on Statistics

2021 ◽  
Vol 275 ◽  
pp. 03044
Author(s):  
Jianjian Wang ◽  
Guofang Shen ◽  
Zeyu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Psychological Adjustment ◽  
Stress Resistance ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Student Groups

Contemporary college students face pressures from employment, emotion, and academic work, so the physical and mental health of college students has gradually become the focus of social attention. Through a questionnaire survey, this paper investigates five aspects : college students’sense of physical health, physical exercise, psychological distress, stress resistance and psychological adjustment methods. College students’ physical and mental health has been analyzed from the basic situation, differences in different student groups, main problems and suggestions, trying to objectively reflect the physical and mental health of college students and provide a basis for the development of college students’ideological and political education.

The relationship between physical and mental health in children and adolescents

2012 ◽  
pp. 1740-1747
Author(s):  
Julia Gledhill ◽  
M. Elena Garralda
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Prognostic Significance ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Psychological Disorder ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Relationship

The link between physical and psychological disorder in children and adolescents is well established. Children with chronic illness are at increased risk of emotional and behavioural disorders. In addition, repeated presentations with physical symptoms may represent underlying psychological distress or psychiatric disorder. Because of the inextricable links between young people and the family in which they live, it is inappropriate to consider symptoms in an index child in isolation. The effects of symptomatology on family functioning, parent, and sibling relationships should be considered. This may have important aetiological and prognostic significance.

scholarly journals What does self rated mental health represent

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daphna Levinson ◽  
Giora Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
The Self ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Design And Methods

<p><em>Background</em>. Unlike the widely used self rated health, the self rated mental health was found unsuitable as a proxy for mental illness. This paper analyses the relationships between the self ratings of physical health, mental health and overall health, and their association of with the objective indicators for physical and mental health. <br /><em>Design and methods</em>. The study is a secondary analysis of data from a nationwide representative sample of the non-institutionalized adult residents of Israel in 2003 that was collected via computer-assisted personal interview methods [n=4859].<br /><em>Results</em>. The self rated physical health and the self rated mental health were strongly related to each other yet the self rated mental health was not related to chronic physical conditions and the self rated physical health was not related to mental disorders. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, those with positive self rated mental health had 93 times the odds of reporting positive overall health whereas those with positive self rated physical health had 40 times the odds of reporting positive overall health. <br /><em>Conclusions</em>. The self rating of mental health presents a qualitatively different dimension from mental illness. The self rated mental health is two times more important than the self rated physical health in predicting the self rated overall health</p>

scholarly journals Poor physical and mental health predicts prolonged grief disorder: A prospective, population-based cohort study on caregivers of patients at the end of life

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1416-1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Krarup Lenger ◽  
Mette Asbjoern Neergaard ◽  
Mai-Britt Guldin ◽  
Mette Kjaergaard Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Status ◽  
General Population ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Prolonged Grief Disorder ◽  
Prolonged Grief ◽  
Sf 36

Background: The health of caregivers can be affected during end-of-life caregiving. Previous cross-sectional studies have indicated an association between poor health status and prolonged grief disorder, but prospective studies are lacking. Aim: To describe physical and mental health status in caregivers of patients at the end of life, and to investigate whether caregivers’ health status during caregiving predict prolonged grief disorder. Design: A population-based prospective survey was conducted. Health status was measured in caregivers during caregiving (SF-36), and prolonged grief disorder was assessed 6 months after bereavement (Prolonged Grief-13). We calculated mean scores of health status and explored the association with prolonged grief disorder using logistic regression adjusted for age, gender and education. Setting/participants: The health in caregivers of patients granted drug reimbursement due to terminal illness in Denmark in 2012 was assessed during caregiving and 6 months after bereavement ( n = 2125). Results: The SF-36 subscale ‘role-physical’ concerning role limitations due to physical health, the ‘mental health’ component score, and all ‘mental health’ subscales showed significantly worse health in the participants than in the general population. Both poor physical health (adjusted OR: 1.05 (95% CI: 1.04–1.07)) and poor mental health (adjusted OR: 1.09 (95% CI: 1.07–1.11)) predicted prolonged grief disorder. Conclusion: Caregivers scored lower on one physical subscale and all mental health measures than the general population. Prolonged grief disorder was predicted by poor physical and mental health status before bereavement. Future research is needed on the use of health status in systematic assessment to identify caregivers in need of support.

scholarly journals Depression, Anxiety and Health Status in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
M. Chylova ◽  
J.P. van Dijk ◽  
J. Rosenberger ◽  
I. Nagyova ◽  
M. Gavelova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Functional Disability ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Mental Health Status ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Physical Health Status ◽  
Physical And Mental Health

Aims:Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults and is frequently accompanied by symptoms of depression and anxiety. The aim of this study was to explore the association of depression and anxiety with health status in younger and older MS patients.Method:223 MS patients (67.3% female; mean age 38.9±10.8 years; mean disease duration 5.8±5.2 years) were divided into younger and older age groups (< 45 and ≥45 years). They completed questionnaires focusing on sociodemographic data, depression and anxiety (HADS), and physical and mental health status (SF-36). Functional disability (EDSS) was assessed by a neurologist. To analyse the data, a U-test and multiple linear regression analyses were performed.Results:A model consisting of age, gender, marital status, EDSS, depression and anxiety explained 46.6% of the variance in physical health status and 60.8% of the variance in mental health status (p≤.001). Depression was a significant predictor of physical health status in older MS patients and was associated with mental health status in both age groups (p≤0.001). Anxiety was related to worse physical and mental health status in younger MS patients, but not in the older ones.Conclusion:Depression in MS patients is associated with mental health status and with physical health status only in the older group; anxiety is associated only in younger MS patients with regard to their health status. Psychiatric diagnostics focusing on depression and anxiety might be important for treatment of MS patients in order to contribute to improving a patient's health status.

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