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Validity and Uses of a Screening Questionnaire (GHQ) in the Community

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

A. Tarnopolsky ,
D. J. Hand ,
E. K. McLean ,
Howard Roberts  and
R. D. Wiggins
A. Tarnopolsky
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF
D. J. Hand
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry
E. K. McLean
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital formerly Institute of Psychiatry
Howard Roberts
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Family Psychiatry, St Thomas's Hospital, London SE1, Formerly Research Worker, Institute of Psychiatry and Honorary Senior Registrar, Maudsley Hospital, London SE5
R. D. Wiggins
Affiliation:
St Thomas's Hospital, formerly Statistician, Institute of Psychiatry
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Summary

The 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) has been validated against the criterion of a standardized psychiatric interview in the community. Used for screening, the GHQ misclassified 25 per cent of 105 respondents, being worse for men. Specificity and sensitivity were above.70. The alternative use of the GHQ as an estimator and as an indicator of morbidity in epidemiological surveys is described and discussed.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 134 , Issue 5 , May 1979 , pp. 508 - 515
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1979 

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