Rethinking students' mental health assessment through GHQ-12: evidence from the IRT approach.
BMC Psychol
; 12(1): 308, 2024 May 29.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38812050
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) is a widely used screening tool for mental health assessment however its traditional scoring methods and cutoffs may not adequately capture the mental health complexities of younger populations.METHODS:
This study explores GHQ-12 responses from a sample of university students. Possible differences in means scores considering gender, age, academic field and degree course were assessed through t-test or one-way ANOVA as appropriate. To deeper understanding different levels of severity and individual item impact on general distress measurement, we applied Item-Response-Theory (IRT) techniques (two-parameters logistic model). We compared students' population with a population of workers who underwent a similar psychological evaluation.RESULTS:
A total of 3834 university students participated in the study. Results showed that a significant proportion (79%) of students reported psychological distress. Females and younger students obtained significantly higher average scores compared to others. IRT analysis found item-specific variations in mental distress levels, with more indicative items for short-term fluctuations and potential severe mental health concerns. Latent class analysis identified three distinct subgroups among students (including 20%, 37%, 43% of the participants respectively) with different levels of psychological distress severity. Comparison with a population of adults showed that students reported significantly higher scores with differences in the scale behavior.CONCLUSION:
Our results highlighted the unique mental health challenges faced by students, suggesting a reevaluation of GHQ-12 applicability and cutoff scores for younger populations, emphasizing the need for accurate instruments in mental health evaluation.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Estudantes
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Psychol
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Itália