title: Validity of the GHQ and SCL anxiety and depression scales: a comparative study.
abstract: This article presents the results of a comparison between the validity of the SCL anxiety, phobic anxiety and depression scales and the GHQ-28 anxiety-/insomnia and severe depression scales in a psychiatric outpatient population. Validity was studied at a categorical level with DSM-III diagnosis, and at a dimensional level with a prototypical anxiety and a prototypical depression scale. The SCL anxiety and depression scales and the GHQ depression scale all showed good convergent and divergent validity, however the GHQ anxiety/insomnia scale showed neither convergent nor divergent validity. It is concluded that as a screening instrument, the relative shortness of the GHQ-28 is a considerable advantage over the SCL-90. However, the GHQ-12 may be an even better alternative. As a multi dimensional measure of psychopathology, the SCL-90 is to be preferred, because it covers more dimensions. If one is interested in anxiety, the SCL-90 also seems the better choice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Psychiatry, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Koeter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires