Psychometric properties of the Brief Symptom Inventory support the hypothesis of a general psychopathological factor.

INTRODUCTION: The existence of a general factor related to psychiatric symptoms is supported by studies using a variety of methods in both clinical and non-clinical samples. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the replicability of the internal structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory in a large Brazilian sample. METHODS: Participants were 6,427 Brazilian subjects (81% female). Mean age was 42.1 years (standard deviation [SD] = 13.6, Min = 13, Max = 80). All participants completed the online version of the Brief Symptom Inventory. This scale presents a general score (GSI) and nine specific clusters of symptoms (depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, interpersonal sensibility, psychoticism, paranoid ideation, obsessive-compulsive behavior, hostility, and somatization symptoms). RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the factor structure of the BSI. The results showed that the best-fitting model was a bifactor solution and the general factor was the main dimension explaining most of the reliable variability in the data. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the BSI's internal structure was replicated in a non-clinical sample and that the general factor is the most reliable score. However, it is necessary to better understand the meaning of the general factor scores in a non-clinical sample to increase interpretability of scores.

Psychometric properties of the Brief Symptom Inventory support the hypothesis of a general psychopathological factor

Abstract Introduction The existence of a general factor related to psychiatric symptoms is supported by studies using a variety of methods in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Objectives This study aims to evaluate the replicability of the internal structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory in a large Brazilian sample. Methods Participants were 6,427 Brazilian subjects (81% female). Mean age was 42.1 years (standard deviation [SD] = 13.6, Min = 13, Max = 80). All participants completed the online version of the Brief Symptom Inventory. This scale presents a general score (GSI) and nine specific clusters of symptoms (depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, interpersonal sensibility, psychoticism, paranoid ideation, obsessive-compulsive behavior, hostility, and somatization symptoms). Results Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the factor structure of the BSI. The results showed that the best-fitting model was a bifactor solution and the general factor was the main dimension explaining most of the reliable variability in the data. Conclusion The findings suggest that the BSI's internal structure was replicated in a non-clinical sample and that the general factor is the most reliable score. However, it is necessary to better understand the meaning of the general factor scores in a non-clinical sample to increase interpretability of scores.

Quality of Life of Health Care Professionals in Pandemic Times.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective is to provide a descriptive analysis of the quality of life among a large sample of health professionals in the early days of the pandemic. METHOD: We surveyed in the first months of the pandemics with the logistical support of the Health ministry in Brazil reaching more than 200,000 varied health professionals, with quality-of-life data, assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF, available to 97,379. We segregated the professionals by their reported field of work. RESULTS: The diferent professions report a diverse quality of life, suggesting a more heterogeneous pattern of impairment. The social relations domain of quality of life was the most affected in or sample. CONCLUSION: Knowing the target population and the features related to worsening of quality of life might help to prepare the professionals for what they must face and to improve mental health in this population.