Psychiatry Investig.
2013 Dec;10(4):352-358.
The 12-Item General Health Questionnaire as an Effective Mental Health Screening Tool for General Korean Adult Population
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Psychiatry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea. lugar@kangwon.ac.kr
- 2Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- 3Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, Ulsan University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- 4Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
- 5Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- 6Department of Psychiatry, Kyungpook National University College of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
- 7Department of Psychiatry, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) has been used extensively in various settings across different cultures. This study was conducted to determine the thresholds associated with optimum sensitivity and specificity for the GHQ-12 in Korean adults.
METHODS
Data was acquired from a sample of 6,510 Korean adults, ages 18 to 64 years old, who were selected from the 2005 Census (2,581 men and 3,929 women). Participants completed the GHQ-12 and the Korean Composite International Diagnostic Interview (K-CIDI). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted.
RESULTS
The mean GHQ-12 score for the total sample was 1.63 (SD 1.98). The internal consistency of the GHQ-12 was good (Cronbach's alpha=0.72). Results from the ROC curve indicated that the GHQ-12 yielded greater accuracy when identifying mood and anxiety disorders than when identifying all mental disorders as a whole. The optimal threshold of the GHQ-12 was either 1/2 or 2/3 point depending on the disorder, but was mainly 2/3.
CONCLUSION
The Korean version of the GHQ-12 could be used to screen for individuals at high risk of mental disorders, namely mood and anxiety disorders.
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