The 12-item general health questionnaire as an effective mental health screening tool for general korean adult population.
OBJECTIVE
The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) has been used extensively in various settings across different cultures. This study was conducted to determine the thresholds associated with optimum sensitivity and specificity for the GHQ-12 in Korean adults.


METHODS
Data was acquired from a sample of 6,510 Korean adults, ages 18 to 64 years old, who were selected from the 2005 Census (2,581 men and 3,929 women). Participants completed the GHQ-12 and the Korean Composite International Diagnostic Interview (K-CIDI). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted.


RESULTS
The mean GHQ-12 score for the total sample was 1.63 (SD 1.98). The internal consistency of the GHQ-12 was good (Cronbach's α=0.72). Results from the ROC curve indicated that the GHQ-12 yielded greater accuracy when identifying mood and anxiety disorders than when identifying all mental disorders as a whole. The optimal threshold of the GHQ-12 was either 1/2 or 2/3 point depending on the disorder, but was mainly 2/3.


CONCLUSIONS
The Korean version of the GHQ-12 could be used to screen for individuals at high risk of mental disorders, namely mood and anxiety disorders.
Department of Psychiatry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
Young Ju
YJ
Kim
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Maeng Je
MJ
Cho
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Subin
S
Park
Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, Ulsan University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jin Pyo
JP
Hong
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jee Hoon
JH
Sohn
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Jae Nam
JN
Bae
Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Hong Jin
HJ
Jeon
Department of Psychiatry, Kyungpook National University College of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Sung Man
SM
Chang
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Hae Woo
HW
Lee
Department of Psychiatry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
Jong-Ik
JI
Park
GHQ-12; Optimal threshold; Psychiatric diagnoses; Sensitivity; Specificity