Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T10:06:02.912Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The value of an improved scoring system (CGHQ) for the General Health Questionnaire in a representative community sample

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Felicia A. Huppert ,
Mauvis Gore  and
B. Jane Elliott
Felicia A. Huppert*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University Clinical School, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge
Mauvis Gore
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University Clinical School, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge
B. Jane Elliott
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University Clinical School, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge
*
1 Address for correspondence: Dr F. A. Huppert, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University Clinical School, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road. Cambridge CB2 2QQ.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

The value of a new method of scoring the General Health Questionnaire (CGHQ) has been assessed in a representative sample of 6317 British community residents aged 18 +. The CGHQ, which takes account of the chronicity of psychiatric symptoms, is found to be superior to the conventional scoring method in yielding a wider range of scores, a more normal distribution and in its close association to a well validated measure of neurotic illness.

On the other hand, the conventional GHQ and the CGHQ score appear equally sensitive to a number of socio-demographic variables, including social class, marital status and employment. An important finding is that the two methods identify different individuals as cases. Compared with the GHQ, the CGHQ identifies a higher proportion of the middle-aged. The implications of these findings with respect to the optimal method of scoring the GHQ are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 18 , Issue 4 , November 1988 , pp. 1001 - 1006
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Blaxter, M. (1987). Sample and data collection. In The Health and Lifestyle Survey, (ed. Cox, B. D., Blaxter, M., Buckle, A. C. J., Fenner, N. P., Golding, J. F., Gore, M., Huppert, F. A., Nickson, J., Roth, M., Stark, J., Wadsworth, M. E. J. & Whichelow, M.), Health Promotion Research Trust: London.Google Scholar
Cox, B. D., Blaxter, M., Buckle, A. C. J., Fenner, N. P., Golding, J. F., Gore, M., Huppert, F. A., Nickson, J., Roth, M., Stark, J., Wadsworth, M. E. J. & Whichelow, M. (1987). The Health and Lifestyle Survey. Health Promotion Research Trust: London.Google Scholar
Eysenck, H. J. & Eysenck, B. G. (1964). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Hodder and Stoughton: Sevenoaks, Kent.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. (1972). The Detection of Psychiatric Illness by Questionnaire. Oxford University Press: London.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. P. (1978). Manual of the General Health Questionnaire NFER-Nelson: Windsor.Google Scholar
Goodchild, M. E. & Duncan-Jones, P. (1985). Chronicity and the General Health Questionnaire. British Journal of Psychiatry 146, 55–61.Google Scholar
Haynes, S. G., Levine, S., Scotch, N., Feinleib, M. & Kannel, W. B. (1978). Relationship of psychosocial factors to coronary heart disease in the Framingham study. 1. Methods and risk factors. American Journal of Epidemiology 107, 362–383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huppert, F. A., Roth, , & Gore, M. (1987). Psychological factors. In The Health and Lifestyle Survey, (ed. Cox, B. D., Blaxter, M., Buckle, A. C. J., Fenner, N. P., Golding, J. F., Gore, M., Huppert, F. A., Nickson, J., Roth, M., Stark, J., Wadsworth, M. E. J. & Which-elow, M.), pp. 43–50. Health Promotion Research Trust: London.Google Scholar
Jenkins, R. (1985). Sex Differences in Minor Psychiatric Morbidity Psychological Medicine, Monograph Supplement 7.Google Scholar
Kerr, T. A., Schapira, K., Roth, M. & Garside, R. F. (1970). The relationship between the Maudsley Personality Inventory and the course of affective disorders, British Journal of Psychiatry 116 11–19.Google Scholar
Tarnopolsky, A., Hand, D. J., McLean, E. K., Roberts, H., & Wiggins, R. D. (1979). Validity and use of a screening questionnaire (GHQ) in the community. British Journal of Psychiatry 134, 508–515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vázquez-Barquero, J. L., Díez-Manrique, J. F., Peña, C., Quintal, R. G. & Labrador Lopez, M. (1986). Two stage design in a community survey. British Journal of Psychiatry 149, 88–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wing, J. K. (1976). A technique for studying psychiatric morbidity inpatient and out-patient series and in general population sample. Psychological Medicine 6, 665–672.CrossRefGoogle Scholar