Factor Structure of the 28-Item General Health Questionnaire in a Sample of Antenatal Women

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yekeen A. Aderibigbe ◽  
William Riley ◽  
Terry Lewin ◽  
Oye Gureje

Objective: The factor structure of responses to the twenty-eight-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) in a sample of 277 Nigerian antenatal women was examined. Method: Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Varimax rotation were used. Results: A four factor structure interpretable as social dysfunction, somatic-anxiety, depression-anxiety, and severe depression was obtained. Conclusion: Although the factor structure in this sample is similar to that previously reported with this instrument, the factor loadings, particularly for the anxiety subscale differed. Thus, the factor structures of the GHQ may differ depending on the cultural background of the sample.

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 17077-17077
Author(s):  
D. C. Javaregowda ◽  
B. Parthasarathy ◽  
A. Suresh ◽  
D. Lokanath ◽  
K. Govind Babu ◽  
...  

17077 Background: The cancer load in India is enormous and majority of the cases present in an advanced stage. There is no valid translation of 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in Kannada, which is a simple but indispensable tool in the comprehensive cancer care (both for metastatic and in adjuvant settings). Therefore we thought of developing and validating the GHQ-12 Questionnaire into Kannada language. Methods: The study was conducted at kidwai memorial institute of Oncology, Bangalore, a tertiary cancer center with an annual attendance of 16,000 new cases. We have chosen educated patients who can speak and write both English and Kannada. We used ’forward-backward’ translation procedure into Kannada. We used scores from 0–3 for the Questionnaire. Total score for both languages was calculated. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Validity was performed using convergent validity. Finally, the factor structure of the questionnaire was extracted by performing principal component analysis using oblique factor solution. Results: A total of 118 patients with various malignancies were entered into the study. The mean age was 36.8 ± 12.1 years. The mean GHQ score was 21.6 ± 9.1 for the English and 22.6 ± 8.1 for Kannada. Reliability analysis showed satisfactory result (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.79). The principal component analysis with oblique rotation solution showed that the GHQ-12 was a measure of psychological morbidity with four -factor structure that jointly accounted for 48 % of the variance. Conclusions: The Kannada version of the GHQ-12 is a reliable and valid instrument with a good structural characteristic. It can be used for measuring psychological well being at our institute for those patients who can read and write only Kannada. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 478-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miodraga Stefanovska Petkovska ◽  
Marjan I. Bojadziev ◽  
Vesna Velikj Stefanovska

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.


1979 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. Goldberg ◽  
V. F. Hillier

SYNOPSISThis study reports the factor structure of the symptoms comprising the General Health Questionnaire when it is completed in a primary care setting. A shorter, 28-item GHQ is proposed consisting of 4 subscales: somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression. Preliminary data concerning the validity of these scales are presented, and the performance of the whole 28-item questionnaire as a screening test is evaluated. The factor structure of the symptomatology is found to be very similar for 3 independent sets of data.


1986 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clive Layton ◽  
John Rust

Male school children (N 241), all aged 16 years, and 144 men facing redundancy completed the 60 item version of the General Health Questionnaire. Data from the two groups was analysed separately using unrotated first principal components analysis followed by oblique rotation. The unrotated first principal component accounted for 23% of the variance in the school group, and 13.2% in the group facing redundancy. No subsequent component accounted for more than 6.1% of the variance. For both samples the first five components were subjected to an oblique rotation. Results were discussed in relation to previous findings of the GHQ. The factor structure was found to be unstable across groups. The implications of these findings were considered in the context of proposed subscales of the GHQ.


1987 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bell ◽  
P. H. Garthwaite

This study follows the psychological profile of a group of Antarctic explorers on a remote base in British Antarctica. Each month for 1 year the 60-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was administered to the 12-man complement and the results compared to those of a control group. Three men resigned and left, 4 months later, at the end of winter. Their scoring showed marked differences from the others, including the highest scores in the severe depression factor scale. The GHQ was accepted by the men despite the intrusive threat it offered in such a small community; there was also a seasonal variation in scoring, with higher scores in the winter, and no evidence of long-term psychological sequelae in those who stayed.


1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1011-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glyn Lewis

SynopsisFactor analyses of the General Health Questionnaire have attempted to interpret the factors as measuring anxiety, depression and social functioning. Data from two large community surveys were used to conduct an unrotated principal components analysis of the 30-item General Health Questionnaire. A general factor, indicating overall severity of psychiatric disorder, accounted for around 30% of the variance. The next most important factor, accounting for about 8% of the variance, was bipolar with the positive (‘less than usual’) items of the General Health Questionnaire having positive coefficients and the negative (‘more than usual’) items having negative coefficients. It is suggested that the concepts of positive and negative mental health derive empirical support from the results and may prove to be a useful classification of dimensions of mental health in the community.


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