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Reliability, validity, and factor structure of the Arabic version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire
T K Daradkeh1, R Ghubash, O E el-Rufaie
1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, United Arab Emirates University. tdaradkeh@uaeu.ac.ae
Psychological Reports
|December 4, 2001
Summary
The Arabic General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) is a reliable and valid mental health screening tool for university students. It effectively identifies general dysphoria, lack of enjoyment, and social dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Psychometric evaluation
- Mental health screening
- Arabic language adaptation
Background:
- University students are a vulnerable population for mental health issues.
- Validated screening tools are crucial for early detection and intervention.
- The General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) is a widely used mental health screening instrument.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).
- To evaluate the reliability and validity of the GHQ-12 in a sample of university students.
- To determine the optimal cut-off point for case identification.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 157 university students completed the Arabic GHQ-12 and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-90.
- A subset underwent a standardized clinical interview using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID).
- Reliability (Cronbach's alpha), validity, factor analysis, and factor score discrimination were analyzed.
Main Results:
- The Arabic GHQ-12 demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .86).
- Optimal sensitivity (.88) and specificity (.84) were achieved at a GHQ-12 cut-off score of 15/16.
- Principal component analysis identified three factors: general dysphoria, lack of enjoyment, and social dysfunction.
Conclusions:
- The Arabic GHQ-12 is a reliable and valid screening tool for assessing mental health in university students.
- The identified factors (general dysphoria, lack of enjoyment, social dysfunction) are relevant for this population.
- The GHQ-12 can effectively discriminate between clinically distressed and non-distressed individuals.
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