The Interval General Health Questionnaire and its Relationship with Psychiatric Disorder in Community and General Practice Samples

1990 ◽  
Vol 157 (5) ◽  
pp. 686-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Surtees ◽  
M. Tansella
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Diagnostic Significance ◽  
Formal Assessment ◽  
Summary Measures ◽  
Criterion Approach

This paper contrasts the usual scoring of the GHQ-30 with scoring based upon a criterion approach applied to only 12 of the GHQ items that takes account of the ‘diagnostic significance’ of the chosen items. Repeat assessments with this shorter form of the questionnaire (the l-GHQ), coupled with procedures to assess change, can be used to provide summary measures of symptom course in those research situations where available interview time precludes the use of more formal assessment methods.

Validation of the 30-item General Health Questionnaire in postpartum women

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 409-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. N. Nott ◽  
S. Cutts
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Slight Modification ◽  
Screening Instrument ◽  
Postpartum Women ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Interview ◽  
General Practices ◽  
At Home

SynopsisTwo hundred consecutive women from five Southampton general practices who were between 8 and 14 weeks postpartum were visited at home. Each subject was given the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) and a standardized psychiatric interview. Thirty-seven (18%) were identified as ‘cases’ by the psychiatric interview. Eighty-nine (44.5%) scored highly on the GHQ. Analysis of the results indicates that slight modification of the content and a raised cut-off point of the GHQ-30 make it a useful screening instrument for postpartum psychiatric disorder.

A Factor Analytic Study of the 60-Item General Health Questionnaire in Australian Community and General Practice Settings

1984 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Burvill ◽  
M. W. Knuiman ◽  
R. A. Finlay-Jones
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Analytic Study ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Positive Finding ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Factor Analytic ◽  
Factor Analytic Study ◽  
Significant Difference

A factor analytic study of responses to a 60-item General Health Questionnaire of people in general practice and in the community in Perth, Western Australia, was performed. Five identified factors, accounting for 46% of the variance, were very similar to factors identified in an English general practice study but differed from two published Australian studies. The statistic of a relative GHQ profile was generated to compare these factors in various sets of data. There was no significant difference between the relative GHQ profile in the community and general practice data or between demographic factors such as sex, social class and country of birth. The major positive finding was of an excess of overtly psychological factors in ‘cases’ compared with an excess of more physical factors in ‘non-cases’.

Severity of Psychiatric Disorder and the 30-Item General Health Questionnaire

1979 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 609-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Finlay-Jones ◽  
Elaine Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
False Negatives ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Threshold Score ◽  
Adverse Life Event ◽  
Chronic Disorders ◽  
State Examination

SummaryThe 30-item General Health Questionnaire misclassified 26 per cent of respondents in two samples of women who were interviewed by a psychiatrist using the Present State Examination. False negatives were likely to be women with chronic disorders, particularly anxiety states. False positives were likely to be distressed by severe physical illness, a recent adverse life event, or loneliness. Applying a higher threshold score to their GHQ, responses would help to separate those with a diagnosable psychiatric disorder from those in states of distress.

Social factors and minor psychiatric disorder in middle-aged men: a validation study and a population survey

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Stansfeld ◽  
J. E. J. Gallacher ◽  
D. S. Sharp ◽  
J. W. G. Yarnell
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
General Health ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Married Men

SYNOPSISA cross-sectional survey of minor psychiatric disorder is reported in a representative community sample of 2204 men between the ages of 45 years and 64 years living in Caerphilly, South Wales. Minor psychiatric disorder was measured by the 30-item General Health Questionnaire and validated by the Clinical Interview Schedule in a consecutive sample of 97 men, weighted to provide one-third cases, two-thirds non-cases. A case threshold of 4/5 on the General Health Questionnaire was chosen on the basis of ‘ROC’ analysis. An overall estimated ‘true’ prevalence rate for minor psychiatric disorder of 22·0% was found, with 22·3% of men scoring 5 or more on the General Health Questionnaire. Rates of minor psychiatric disorder were higher in widowed and divorced men than in married men but were also, unexpectedly, lower in single as opposed to married men. There was no social-class gradient in minor psychiatric morbidity but a lower rate in Social Class III NM may be largely explained by lower unemployment rates. There were markedly higher rates of minor psychiatric morbidity in unemployed men and those who retired ill. Men with no available social contacts had higher rates of morbidity than men with some or high social contacts.

Emotional Disturbances in Endocrine Patients

1988 ◽  
Vol 152 (6) ◽  
pp. 807-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Lobo ◽  
Maria-Jesús Pérez-Echeverría ◽  
Antonio Jiménez-Aznárez ◽  
Maria-Antonia Sancho
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
General Health ◽  
Type I Diabetes ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Somatic Symptoms ◽  
Emotional Disturbances ◽  
Type I ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Interview Schedule ◽  
Additional Information

The 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) has been validated against the criterion of the Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS) in Spanish patients in hospital with several types of endocrinological illnesses. The screening instrument correctly identified 91 of 100 respondents as exhibiting psychiatric disorder. The questionnaire's efficacy was similar at the time of medical discharge, when the rate of disorder was significantly lower. Significant correlations were found between GHQ total scores and endocrine blood measures in Addison's disease, and in Type I diabetes. The four subscales of the GHQ sum to provide additional information concerning somatic symptoms and anxiety.

scholarly journals Teenage Pregnancy: Doubts, Uncertainties and Psychiatric Disturbance

1991 ◽  
Vol 84 (12) ◽  
pp. 723-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Maskey
Keyword(s):  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Psychiatric Disorder ◽  
Teenage Pregnancy ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Disturbance ◽  
Control Scale ◽  
Attitude Scales

Fifty-two pregnant teenagers were assessed at ‘booking’ using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28), a locus of control scale, and five visual analogue ‘attitude scales’. Thirty-eight were in the antenatal and 14 in the termination clinic. One quarter had probable psychiatric disorder on the GHQ. The GHQ scores correlated significantly with indecision about the planned outcome of pregnancy (whether termination or full term). Locus of control correlated with the Depression scale of the GHQ but not with attitude to pregnancy or choice of termination or delivery. Clinic staff should be alert to the psychiatric risks when seeing teenagers who have marked doubts about their plans when pregnant.

Severity of symptoms of psychiatric outpatients: use of the General Health Questionnaire in hospital and general practice patients

1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. P. Sims ◽  
P. H. Salmons
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
General Health ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
Outpatient Service ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Psychiatric Outpatient ◽  
Screening Device ◽  
Matched Samples

SynopsisA sample of 91 new referrals to a community based psychiatric outpatient service was compared with a cross-matched control sample of 107 patients attending the general practitioner's surgery. The subjects in both groups completed the General Health Questionnaire and there was a very marked difference between the scores of the two groups. Seventy-five of the psychiatric group had a high score on the questionnaire, and a large number of these were extremely high, while 74 of the general practice group had a low score. The ‘false’ positives and negatives are discussed. It is considered that the validity of this questionnaire as a screening device for demonstrating psychiatric morbidity and severity in general practice is further established in this study by showing that in matched samples the expected psychiatric morbidity in general practice can be compared with the much greater morbidity in psychiatric outpatient referrals. For the psychiatric sample more patients showed high scores and these tended to be much higher.

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