title: The factor structure of the general health questionnaire (GHQ-30) in Japanese middle-aged and elderly residents.
abstract: We conducted Goldberg's 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) on 1,216 Japanese general population aged 40-92. Among them, 9.8% of males and 13.7% of females scored over the cut-off point which is used to indicate minor psychiatric disorders. Factor analysis was carried out using the Likert method and eight factors labelled as follows were selected: depression, anxiety and tension, anergia, interpersonal dysfunction, difficulty in coping, insomnia, anhedonia and social avoidance. The mean value of the standardized scores for each age-sex group indicated that changes in sex-age social roles with age affect the mental health of the general population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mine
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Honda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires