Cross-sectional Study of General Health Questionnaire Among University Students in Malaysia: A Reliability Study

Background: The General Health Questionnaire is a widely used scale to measure psychological distress. This scale is available in many languages. The original version comprised of 60 items. It is available in 30-items, 28-items, 20-items and 12-items. The shorter version is as good as the longer version of the scale. Objective: The aim of this investigation was to determine the sensitivity, specificity and reliability of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) among university students. Method: A total of 280 undergraduate students were selected using convenient sampling. Result: The results of this study showed that the GHQ-12 is multidimensional and contains three factor structures. It has a high internal consistency and a useful instrument to measure the psychological wellbeing of university students in Malaysia Previous authors have suggested that the cut-off point is determined by the mean. Findings from this study, based on sensitivity and specificity, suggests that mean may not be a good option. This study recommends the best cut-off point is determined by the ROC. Conclusion: This study shows that the GHQ-12 is a valid and reliable instrument to detect psychological distress among university students. The optimum cut-off point of the GHQ-12 score to detect psychological distress was 15/16