Understanding the population structure of the GHQ-12: Methodological considerations in dimensionally complex measurement outcomes

Gareth J. Griffith and Kelvyn Jones

Social Science & Medicine, 2019, vol. 243, issue C

Abstract: Mental health and its complexity, measurement and social determinants are increasingly important avenues of research for social scientists. Quantitative social science commonly investigates mental health as captured by population screening metrics. One of the most common of these metrics is the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Despite itscanonical use as an outcome of interest in social science, the traditional use of the summed scores of summed questionnaires carries empirical and substantive assumptions which are often not fully considered or justified in the research. We outline the implications of these assumptions and the restrictions imposed by traditional modelling techniques and advocate for a more nuanced approach to population mental health modelling and inference.

Keywords: UK; Mental health; Depression; Structural equation modelling; Population health; GHQ-12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112638

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