title: Testing and using Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire: Mental health in relation to home nursing, home help, and family care among older, care-dependent individuals.
abstract: The aims of this study were to test the Norwegian version of Goldberg's 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) in a group of older, care-dependent individuals living at home; to describe self-reported mental health; and to relate mental health to receiving home nursing, home help, and family care. A sample of 234 home nursing patients in Norway aged 75 years and older was interviewed. Mental state was assessed using the GHQ-30. Reliability and validity were calculated with Spearman's rank correlations, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and Mann-Whitney U-test. The factor analysis was performed using the principal components analysis with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalization. Demographic characteristics and amounts of formal and family care were recorded, and descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression were used in the analyses. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the GHQ was 0.92. The item-total correlations were generally acceptable. For items concerning depression and anxiety, the item-total correlations ranged from r(s)= 0.60 to 0.77. The factors extracted in the factor analysis explained 70% of the variance in the group. Females <85 years of age living in urban areas were associated with reduced mental health. There were no associations between general mental health and the amounts of formal and family care provided.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Sport, University of Agder, Aredndal, Norway. bjorg.dale@uia.no
authors.forename: Bjørg
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: Hans Inge
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Saevareid
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Söderhamn
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing*; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires