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Concurrent validity of GHQ-28 and PSE as measures of change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

J. Ormel ,
M. W. J. Koeter ,
W. Van Den Brink  and
R. Giel
J. Ormel*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychiatry, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
M. W. J. Koeter
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychiatry, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
W. Van Den Brink
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychiatry, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
R. Giel
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychiatry, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr J. Ormel, Department of Social Psychiatry, Academic Hospital Groningen, Postbox 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
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Synposis

Substantial cross-sectional correlations have been reported between the GHQ and PSE (and CIS) total scores. Although necessary, this is not a sufficient condition for assuming good validity of the GHQ as a severity measure in longitudinal and health care evaluation studies. For this purpose the GHQ should also accurately reflect changes in severity over time. To examine their concurrent validity, GHQ and PSE scores were compared, in a three-wave longitudinal study, among 175 new psychiatric out-patients. Using a longitudinal structural equation model that takes measurement error into account, the strength of both the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship between GHQ and PSE were estimated. The GHQ performed remarkably well; changes in severity as defined by PSE-ID and PSE total score were clearly reflected by changes in GHQ scores. The revised scoring method of the GHQ proposed by Goodchild and Duncan-Jones did not yield superior results.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , November 1989 , pp. 1007 - 1013
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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