Psychiatric well-being among men leaving prison reporting a history of injecting drug use: A longitudinal analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110481
Author(s):  
Ashleigh C Stewart ◽  
Reece Cossar ◽  
Anna Lee Wilkinson ◽  
Nick Scott ◽  
Paul Dietze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Injecting Drug Use ◽  
Community Reintegration ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Questionnaire Score ◽  
History Of ◽  
General Health Questionnaire Score

Background: Community reintegration from prison is typically stressful, with several health and social outcomes impacting psychiatric well-being during this time, often exacerbated among individuals with histories of drug use. Longitudinal data was used to assess change in psychiatric well-being over 2 years following release from prison among men who reported a recent history of injecting drug use. Methods: Data for this study come from the Prison and Transition Health cohort study of 400 men recruited in prison prior to release and followed up over three time points. Psychiatric well-being was assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. We calculated change in individual General Health Questionnaire scores between interviews and identified covariates associated with General Health Questionnaire score using linear mixed-effects regression. Results: Data from 690 follow-up interviews among 326 participants were included in analyses. There was considerable variation in individuals’ General Health Questionnaire scores. Moving accommodation frequently and frequent illicit drug injections were associated with an increase in General Health Questionnaire score (i.e. decline in psychiatric well-being). Two or more prior adult imprisonment episodes, social supports and past month primary healthcare attendance were associated with a decrease in General Health Questionnaire score. Conclusion: Our findings identify health, social and structural influences on psychiatric well-being after release from prison that can inform re-entry programmes to support community reintegration.

Life Stress, Medical Lethality, and Suicidal Intent

1985 ◽  
Vol 147 (6) ◽  
pp. 655-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. G. Power ◽  
D. J. Cooke ◽  
D. N. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Life Stress ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Suicidal Intent ◽  
Questionnaire Score ◽  
General Health Questionnaire Score

Eighty parasuicide patients were studied. The importance of life stress, age, and General Health Questionnaire score as predictors of the suicidal intent and medical lethality which they exhibited was examined. Medical lethality and suicidal intent were closely related: those whose parasuicide resulted in high lethality differed from those showing low lethality in their degree of suicidal intent, but did not differ in life stress, age, or GHQ score. Although both life stress and GHQ score were significantly correlated with suicidal intent, the GHQ score accounted for a greater proportion of the variance. These results suggest a more complex relationship between life stress, GHQ score, and suicidal intent than is often assumed.

scholarly journals Reliability, Validity and Factor Structure of the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire among General Population

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 478-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miodraga Stefanovska Petkovska ◽  
Marjan I. Bojadziev ◽  
Vesna Velikj Stefanovska
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Oblique Rotation ◽  
Nationally Representative

AIM: The aim of the study is to analyze the internal consistency; validity and factor structure of the twelve item General Health Questionnaire for the Macedonian general population.MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data came from nationally representative sample of 1603 randomly selected Macedonians all aged 18 years or older.RESULTS: The mean GHQ score in the general sample was found to be 7.9 (SD = 4.3). The results revealed a higher GHQ score among women (M = 8.91, SD = 4.5) compared to men (M = 6.89; SD = 4.2). The participants from the rural areas obtained a lower GHQ score (M = 7.55, SD = 3.8) compared to participants coming from the urban areas (M = 9.37, SD = 4.1). The principal component analysis with oblique rotation (direct oblimin) with maximum likelihood procedure solution was performed and the results yielded a three factor solution which jointly accounted for 57.17% of the total variance: Factor I named social management (items 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8); Factor II stress (items 2, 5 and 9) and Factor III named self-confidence (items 10, 11 and 12). Its factor structure is in line with representative research from other population groups.CONCLUSION: The GHQ-12 can be used effectively for assessment of the overall psychological well-being and detection of non-psychotic psychiatric problems among the Macedonian population.

scholarly journals Coping and health in harassed teachers

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 437
Author(s):  
MARIA CONSUELO MORÁN ASTORGA
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Health And Well Being

The present study examined the relationship among bullying, coping strategies, and health in a sample of 255 Spanish teachers. They completed a set of questionnaires to evaluate: 1) bullying (with a bullying perceived questionnaire); 2) health (with General Health Questionnaire); and 3) coping strategies (with the Brief COPE). Results showed that teachers bullied by colleagues had a poorer health than those not bullied. The analysis established also the differences between targets and non-targets in coping strategies: It was observed that bullying targets use more non-functional coping strategies and fewer functional ones than non-targets. These results suggest that it is necessary eradicate bullying in order to improve workers’ health and well-being. The victims also need to change their strategies to coping harassment. More investigations in these issues are needed, as they are essential to workplace health and well-being.ResumenEn este estudio se examinó la relación entre el sentimiento de acoso psicológico en el trabajo, la salud y las estrategias de afrontamiento del estrés. Participaron 255 profesores no universitarios que completaron el Cuestionario de Acoso Psicológico Percibido, el Cuestionario de Salud General y el Brief Cope (Cope-28, en español). Los resultados hallaron que los profesores acosados por colegas tenían peor salud que los no acosados. Se encontraron también diferencias en el uso de estrategias de afrontamiento entre las víctimas y las no víctimas de acoso: las primeras utilizan más estrategias disfuncionales y menos estrategias funcionales. Estos resultados sugieren que es necesario erradicar el acoso en el entorno laboral con el fin de mejorar la salud y el bienestar. También las víctimas de acoso necesitan cambiar sus estrategias de afrontar el bullying. Son necesarias mas investigaciones en el campo de la salud y el bienestar en el ámbito laboral.

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.

The Psychological Well-being of Supporters of the Demented Elderly

1987 ◽  
Vol 150 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Eagles ◽  
A. Craig ◽  
F. Rawlinson ◽  
D. B. Restall ◽  
J. A. G. Beattie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Assessment ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Stress Scale

Interviews were conducted with the co-resident supporters of 79 elderly subjects. Forty of these elderly subjects had been diagnosed as being demented (20 mildly, 12 moderately and eight severely) following psychiatric assessment. The supporters were screened for psychological well-being with the 60-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Relatives' Stress Scale (RSS). Supporters of demented relatives showed significantly raised levels of stress on the RSS, but no increase in psychiatric morbidity on the GHQ, when compared with the supporters of non-demented relatives. The implications of these findings are discussed.

scholarly journals Can the 12-item General Health Questionnaire be used to measure positive mental health?

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 1005-1013 ◽  
Author(s):  
YONGJIAN HU ◽  
SARAH STEWART-BROWN ◽  
LIZ TWIGG ◽  
SCOTT WEICH
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Positive Mental Health ◽  
Household Composition ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health States

Background. Well-being is an important determinant of health and social outcomes. Measures of positive mental health states are needed for population-based research. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) has been widely used in many settings and languages, and includes positively and negatively worded items. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that the GHQ-12 assesses both positive and negative mental health and that these domains are independent of one another.Method. Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses were conducted using data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the Health Survey for England (HSE). Regression models were used to assess whether associations with individual and household characteristics varied across positive and negative mental health dimensions. We also explored higher-level variance in these measures, between electoral wards.Results. We found a consistent, replicable factor structure in both datasets. EFA results indicated a two-factor solution, and CFA demonstrated that this was superior to a one-factor model. These factors correspond to ‘symptoms of mental disorder’ and ‘positive mental health’. Further analyses demonstrated independence of these factors in associations with age, gender, employment status, poor housing and household composition. Statistically significant ward-level variance was found for symptoms of mental disorder but not positive mental health.Conclusions. The GHQ-12 measures both positive and negative aspects of mental health, and although correlated, these dimensions have some independence. The GHQ-12 could be used to measure positive mental health in population-based research.

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

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-748 ◽  
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.

Do Health Questionnaires Which Do Not Consider Sex Differences Miss Important Information?

1997 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Gibson ◽  
M. J. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sense Of Coherence ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Eysenck Personality Inventory ◽  
Resilience Scale ◽  
Health Questionnaires

The influence of gender on subsets of scores of Sense of Coherence, Hardiness, and personality traits was assessed in relation to psychological well-being using the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire, the Dispositional Resilience Scale, the Eysenck Personality Inventory, and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. In a sample of Open University students (67 men aged 21 to 71 years and 239 women aged 19 to 66 years) sex differences were found in subsets of scores of Sense of Coherence, Hardiness, personality, and psychological well-being.

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.

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