Validity of the Japanese version of the GHQ among antenatal clinic attendants.
The validity of the Japanese version of the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was examined against the semi-structured interview-based Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) as external criteria. The GHQ total score discriminated 'cases' and 'non-cases' satisfactorily but its recommended cut-off point was higher (7/8) than that of the original English version (4/5). Discriminant function analysis revealed that only 13 items contributed to the discriminatory power and that their discriminant function score was better than a simple summation of the 30 GHQ item scores in terms of validity.
Section of Mental Health for the Elderly, National Institute of Mental Health, Japan.
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Kitamura
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Sugawara
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Aoki
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Shima
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008403:Mass Screening; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D010200:Panic; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics