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Psychological Symptoms and their Course in First-Year Medical Students as Assessed by the Interval General Health Questionnaire (I–GHQ)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

P. McC. Miller  and
P. G. Surtees
P. McC. Miller*
Affiliation:
MRC Reproductive Biology Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF
P. G. Surtees
Affiliation:
MRC Biostatistics Unit, 5 Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 2BW
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

Evidence is presented concerning the concurrent validity of the Interval General Health Questionnaire. This was used to describe the timing and course of spells of depression and anxiety symptoms in first-year medical students over their initial six months at university. A small subgroup of students who were continuously symptomatic were distinguished from other groups by the presence of a number of factors: they were slow to make friends, had inappropriate support from relatives, had a tendency to have rows, had steady girl/boyfriends and had ‘vulnerable’ personalities. By contrast, a large subgroup who were well throughout had experienced caring childhood backgrounds, seldom had girl/boyfriends, showed little tendency to have rows and had ‘resilient’ personalities. Other subgroups are also described. It is suggested that students who suffer from chronic minor symptomatic distress could be recognised early on and offered appropriate support from counselling services.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 159 , Issue 2 , August 1991 , pp. 199 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © 1991 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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