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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2007

Open Access 01-12-2007 | Research article

Factor structure of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in subjects who had suffered from the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake in Japan: a community-based study

Authors: Shin-ichi Toyabe, Toshiki Shioiri, Kuriko Kobayashi, Hideki Kuwabara, Masataka Koizumi, Taro Endo, Miki Ito, Hiroko Honma, Noboru Fukushima, Toshiyuki Someya, Kouhei Akazawa

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2007

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Abstract

Background

Factor structure of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was studied by a survey of subjects who had experienced the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake (6.8 on the Richter scale) in Japan.

Methods

Psychological distress was measured at two years after the earthquake by using GHQ-12 in 2,107 subjects (99.0% response rate) who suffered the earthquake. GHQ-12 was scored by binary, chronic and Likert scoring method. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to reveal the factor structure of GHQ-12. Categorical regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between various background factors and GHQ-12 scores.

Results

Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the model consisting of the two factors and using chronic method gave the best goodness-of-fit among the various models for factor structure. Recovery in the scale for the factor 'social dysfunction' was remarkably impaired compared with that of the factor 'dysphoria'. Categorical regression analysis revealed that various factors, including advanced age, were associated with psychological distress. Advanced age affected the impaired recovery of factor 'social dysfunction' score as well as total GHQ score.

Conclusion

The two-factor structure of GHQ-12 was conserved between the survey at five month and that at two years after the earthquake. Impaired recovery in the ability to cope with daily problems in the subjects who had experienced the earthquake was remarkable even at two years after the earthquake.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Factor structure of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in subjects who had suffered from the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake in Japan: a community-based study
Authors
Shin-ichi Toyabe
Toshiki Shioiri
Kuriko Kobayashi
Hideki Kuwabara
Masataka Koizumi
Taro Endo
Miki Ito
Hiroko Honma
Noboru Fukushima
Toshiyuki Someya
Kouhei Akazawa
Publication date
01-12-2007
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2007
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-7-175

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