Wojujutari Ajele Kenni, Idemudia Erhabor Sunday, Ugwu Lawrence Ejike
Faculty of Humanities, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
PLoS One. 2024 Jul 17;19(7):e0304182. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304182. eCollection 2024.
The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is widely used for detecting psychiatric disorders, but its reliability across different populations remains to be determined.
This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the reliability of GHQ-12 across varied cultural and demographic settings.
This meta-analysis evaluates the reliability of General Health Questionnaire [GHQ-12]' across diverse populations, employing a systematic search strategy and rigorous inclusion criteria. This meta-analysis evaluates the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) using a pre-registered protocol (CRD42023488436) to ensure unbiased results. Data from 20 studies published between 2016-2023 were analysed using a random-effects model, with quality assessment guided by COSMIN Risk of Bias and QUADAS-2. This study enhances our understanding of GHQ-12's psychometric properties.
For the GHQ-12 subscales, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.72 (90% CI [0.68, 0.75]) for anxiety and depression, 0.82 (90% CI [0.79, 0.86]) for social dysfunction, and 0.72 (90% CI [0.68, 0.76]) for loss of confidence. However, the analysis showed substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 90.04%), with significant variability in reliability estimates across different studies. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.84 (95% Cl [0.810, 0.873]) with SE = 0.016 (90% CI [0.68, 0.82], p < .05), indicating moderate to high internal consistency. Quantifying heterogeneity revealed a substantial level (se = 0.0016, I2 = 96.7%), signifying considerable variability in the reliability estimate among the studies. Results further show Cronbach's alpha coefficients range from 0.82 to 0.85 (95% Cl [0.77, 0.86 to 0.81, 0.90]) for the GHQ 12 items.
While reaffirming the GHQ-12's utility in mental health assessment, our findings urge a more cautious and context-aware application of the questionnaire. The substantial heterogeneity and variability in reliability scores indicate a need for further research. Future studies should explore the reasons behind this variability, focusing on cultural, socio-economic, and methodological factors that might influence the GHQ-12's reliability. This critical analysis underscores the need for a deeper understanding of the GHQ-12's applicability and the importance of tailoring mental health assessment tools to specific population characteristics.
一般健康问卷（GHQ - 12）被广泛用于检测精神障碍，但其在不同人群中的可靠性仍有待确定。
本荟萃分析旨在评估GHQ - 12在不同文化和人口统计学背景下的可靠性。
本荟萃分析采用系统检索策略和严格的纳入标准，评估一般健康问卷[GHQ - 12]在不同人群中的可靠性。本荟萃分析使用预先注册的方案（CRD42023488436）评估一般健康问卷（GHQ - 12），以确保结果无偏倚。对2016年至2023年发表的20项研究的数据采用随机效应模型进行分析，质量评估以COSMIN偏倚风险和QUADAS - 2为指导。本研究增进了我们对GHQ - 12心理测量特性的理解。
对于GHQ - 12分量表，焦虑和抑郁方面的克朗巴赫α系数为0.72（90%置信区间[0.68, 0.75]），社会功能障碍方面为0.82（90%置信区间[0.79, 0.86]），信心丧失方面为0.72（90%置信区间[0.68, 0.76]）。然而，分析显示存在显著异质性（I² = 90.04%），不同研究的可靠性估计存在显著差异。总体克朗巴赫α系数为0.84（95%置信区间[0.810, 0.873]），标准误为0.016（90%置信区间[0.68, 0.82]，p <.05），表明具有中度到高度的内部一致性。对异质性的量化显示出较高水平（标准误 = 0.0016，I² = 96.7%），这表明研究之间的可靠性估计存在相当大的差异。结果还显示，GHQ - 12项目的克朗巴赫α系数范围为0.82至0.85（95%置信区间[0.77, 0.86至0.81, 0.90]）。
在重申GHQ - 12在心理健康评估中的效用的同时，我们的研究结果敦促在使用该问卷时要更加谨慎并考虑具体情况。可靠性得分的显著异质性和变异性表明需要进一步研究。未来的研究应探讨这种变异性背后的原因，重点关注可能影响GHQ - 12可靠性的文化、社会经济和方法学因素。这一批判性分析强调了深入了解GHQ - 12适用性的必要性，以及根据特定人群特征定制心理健康评估工具的重要性。
