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  • Cited by 99
  • Cited by
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Measuring the Mental Health Status of a Population: a Comparison of the GHQ–12 and the SF–36 (MHI–5)

  • C. J. McCabe, K. J. Thomas, J. E. Brazier and P. Coleman (a1)
Abstract
Background

A comparison of the performance of the 5-item mental health dimension of SF–36 (MHI–5) with that of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ–12) in a defined, non-patient population, using standard statistical tests.

 Methods

A postal survey of 3000 patients aged 16–64 years was conducted. Patients were randomly selected from the practice lists of two general practices chosen to represent populations with different socio-economic characteristics.

 Results

Considerable evidence was found for the internal consistency of both instruments (Cronbach's α 0.91 and 0.84 for GHQ–12 and the MHI–5 respectively) and for their construct validity in terms of distinguishing between groups with measured health differences. Both instruments showed a significant difference in the mean scores for men and women. In contrast to the GHQ–12, no correlation was found between age and score for the MHI–5. Both instruments were equally sensitive to socio-economic characteristics and to levels of social support The scores on the two instruments were highly correlated (Spearman rank correlation – 0.73).

 Conclusion

The MHI–5 has comparable psychometric performance to the GHQ–12, and can be used to measure and compare mental health in defined populations. Operational advantages of the MHI–5 over the GHQ–12 are that it is in the public domain, is part of a general health measure (SF–36) and is shorter.
Copyright
COPYRIGHT: © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 
Corresponding author
C. J. McCabe, Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research, Regent Court, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield S1 4DA. Fax: 0114 272 4095
References
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Carmines, E. & Zeller, R. (1977) Reliability and Validity Assessment. Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences. Beverly Hills: Sage.
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Goldberg, D. P. & Williams, P. (1988) Users' Guide to the General Health Questionnaire. Windsor NFER-Nelson.
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Jenkinson, C., Coulter, A. & Wright, L. (1993) Short Form SF–36 Health Survey questionnaire. Narrative data for adults of working age. British Medical Journal, 306, 1437–1440.
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Ware, J. E., Gandek, B. and the Iqola Group (1994) The SF–36 health survey, development and use in mental health research and the IQOLA project International Journal of Mental Health, 23, 49–73.
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  • Cited by 99
  • Cited by
    Crossref Citations
    Crossref logo
    This article has been cited by the following publications. This list is generated based on data provided by CrossRef.
    Aitken, Zoe Simpson, Julie Anne Gurrin, Lyle Bentley, Rebecca and Kavanagh, Anne Marie 2018. Do material, psychosocial and behavioural factors mediate the relationship between disability acquisition and mental health? A sequential causal mediation analysis. International Journal of Epidemiology,
    van der Velden, Peter G. Pecoraro, Mauro Houwerzijl, Mijke S. and van der Meulen, Erik 2018. Mental Health Problems Among Whistleblowers: A Comparative Study. Psychological Reports, p. 003329411875768.
    Hudson, Peter Hall, Chris Boughey, Alison and Roulston, Audrey 2017. Bereavement support standards and bereavement care pathway for quality palliative care. Palliative and Supportive Care, p. 1.
    2017. Perceived Health and Adaptation in Chronic Disease. p. 175.
    Bubonya, Melisa Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. and Wooden, Mark 2017. Job loss and the mental health of spouses and adolescent children. IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Vol. 6, Issue. 1,
    Reeves, Aaron McKee, Martin Mackenbach, Johan Whitehead, Margaret and Stuckler, David 2017. Introduction of a National Minimum Wage Reduced Depressive Symptoms in Low-Wage Workers: A Quasi-Natural Experiment in the UK. Health Economics, Vol. 26, Issue. 5, p. 639.
    Kovess Masfety, Viviane Lesinskiene, Sigita Husky, Mathilde M. Boyd, Anders Ha, Phuong Fermanian, Christophe and Pez, Ondine 2017. Risk factors for child mental health problems in Lithuania: The role of parental nationality. Comprehensive Psychiatry, Vol. 73, Issue. , p. 15.
    Bacigalupe, Amaia Esnaola, Santiago and Martín, Unai 2016. The impact of the Great Recession on mental health and its inequalities: the case of a Southern European region, 1997–2013. International Journal for Equity in Health, Vol. 15, Issue. 1,
    Borsje, Petra Hems, Marleen A P Lucassen, Peter L B J Bor, Hans Koopmans, Raymond T C M and Pot, Anne Margriet 2016. Psychological distress in informal caregivers of patients with dementia in primary care: course and determinants. Family Practice, Vol. 33, Issue. 4, p. 374.
    Bentley, Rebecca J. Pevalin, David Baker, Emma Mason, Kate Reeves, Aaron and Beer, Andrew 2016. Housing affordability, tenure and mental health in Australia and the United Kingdom: a comparative panel analysis. Housing Studies, Vol. 31, Issue. 2, p. 208.
    Foote, Heather Wolfort Hamer, Joshua D Roland, Malcolm M Landy, Stephen R and Smitherman, Todd A 2016. Psychological flexibility in migraine: A study of pain acceptance and values-based action. Cephalalgia, Vol. 36, Issue. 4, p. 317.
    Abbas, Linda Abou Salameh, Pascale Mansour, Zeinab Nasser, Zeina Elias, Elias and Godin, Isabelle 2016. Development and initial validation of a brief scale for assessing psychological distress in obese adults. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, Vol. 4, Issue. 1, p. 16.
    Hintsa, Taina Elovainio, Marko Jokela, Markus Ahola, Kirsi Virtanen, Marianna and Pirkola, Sami 2016. Is there an independent association between burnout and increased allostatic load? Testing the contribution of psychological distress and depression. Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 21, Issue. 8, p. 1576.
    John, Ann McGregor, Joanne Fone, David Dunstan, Frank Cornish, Rosie Lyons, Ronan A. and Lloyd, Keith R. 2016. Case-finding for common mental disorders of anxiety and depression in primary care: an external validation of routinely collected data. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, Vol. 16, Issue. 1,
    Kovess-Masfety, Viviane Husky, Mathilde M. Keyes, Katherine Hamilton, Ava Pez, Ondine Bitfoi, Adina Carta, Mauro Giovanni Goelitz, Dietmar Kuijpers, Rowella Otten, Roy Koç, Ceren Lesinskiene, Sigita and Mihova, Zlatka 2016. Comparing the prevalence of mental health problems in children 6–11 across Europe. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, Vol. 51, Issue. 8, p. 1093.
    Buffel, Veerle Dereuddre, Rozemarijn and Bracke, Piet 2015. Medicalization of the Uncertainty? An Empirical Study of the Relationships between Unemployment or Job Insecurity, Professional Care Seeking, and the Consumption of Antidepressants. European Sociological Review, Vol. 31, Issue. 4, p. 446.
    de Menil, V. Knapp, M. McDaid, D. Raja, S. Kingori, J. Waruguru, M. Wood, S. K. Mannarath, S. and Lund, C. 2015. Cost-effectiveness of the Mental Health and Development model for schizophrenia-spectrum and bipolar disorders in rural Kenya. Psychological Medicine, Vol. 45, Issue. 13, p. 2747.
    Dawson, Chris Veliziotis, Michail Pacheco, Gail and Webber, Don J. 2015. Is temporary employment a cause or consequence of poor mental health? A panel data analysis. Social Science & Medicine, Vol. 134, Issue. , p. 50.
    Hudson, Peter Trauer, Tom Kelly, Brian O'Connor, Moira Thomas, Kristina Zordan, Rachel and Summers, Michael 2015. Reducing the psychological distress of family caregivers of home based palliative care patients: longer term effects from a randomised controlled trial. Psycho-Oncology, Vol. 24, Issue. 1, p. 19.
    Rieger, Slade J. Peter, Tracey and Roberts, Lance W. 2015. ‘Give Me a Reason to Live!’ Examining Reasons for Living Across Levels of Suicidality. Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 54, Issue. 6, p. 2005.
    Download full list
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  • Get access
    Add to cart USD35.00
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Measuring the Mental Health Status of a Population: a Comparison of the GHQ–12 and the SF–36 (MHI–5)

  • C. J. McCabe, K. J. Thomas, J. E. Brazier and P. Coleman (a1)
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