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Responses of Australian patients with gynaecological disorders to the General Health Questionnaire: a factor analytic study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

A. Worsley ,
W. A. W. Walters  and
E. C. Wood
A. Worsley*
Affiliation:
Division of Human Nutrition, CSIRO, Adelaide, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
W. A. W. Walters
Affiliation:
Division of Human Nutrition, CSIRO, Adelaide, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
E. C. Wood
Affiliation:
Division of Human Nutrition, CSIRO, Adelaide, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr A. Worsley, Division of Human Nutrition, CSIRO, Kintore Avenue, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
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Synopsis

One hundred and twenty-seven out-patients attending a gynaecology clinic completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ, 60-item version) and a role problems checklist (RPCL). Principal factors analysis of the GHQ yielded 8 factors which were named: poor performance (which accounted for 63·3 % of total variance), depression-anxiety, sleep-disturbance, anhedonia-anergia, loss of confidence, general illness, social dysfunction and headache. These results were compared with previous principal components analyses of the GHQ (Goldberg, 1972; Goldberg et al. 1976).

A multiple regression analysis indicated that age and 7 of the 8 factors were significantly related to the number of role problems reported by the patients. However, it appears that psychiatric distress (as measured by the GHQ) and role problems were only related to a small degree (multiple R2 = 12·69% only).

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , February 1978 , pp. 131 - 138
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

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