General Health Questionnaire(GHQ)

Please Read this Carefully:

We should like to know if you have had any medical complaints, and how your

health has been in general, over the past few weeks. Please answer ALL the questions on the

following pages simply by underlining the recent complaints, not those that you had in the past.

It is important that you try to answer ALL the questions.

Thank you very much for your cooperation.

HAVE YOU RECENTLY:

A1. Been feeling perfectly well and in good health?

 Better than usual
 Same as usual
 Worse than usual
 Much more than usual

A2. Been feeling in need of a good tonic?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

A3. Being feeling run down and out of sorts?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual
A4. Felt that you are ill?
 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

A5. Been getting any pains in your head?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual
A6. Been getting a feeling of tightness or pressure in your head?
 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

A7. Been having hot or cold spells?

 Not at all
 No more than usualm

 Rather more than usual

 Much more than usual

B1. Lost much sleep over worry?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

B2. Had difficulty in staying asleep once you are off?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

B3. Felt constantly under strain?

  Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

B4. Been getting edgy and bad – tempered?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

B5. Been getting scared or panicky for no good reason?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

B6. Found Everything getting on top of you?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

B7. Been feeling nervous and strung – up all the time?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much more than usual

C1. Been managing to keep yourself busy and occupied?

 More so than usual
 Same as usual
 Rather less than usual
 Much less than usual

C2. Been taking longer over the things you do?

 Quicker than usual
 Same as usual
  Longer than usual
 Much longer than usual

C3. Felt on the whole you were doings things well?

 Better than usual
 About the same
 Less well than usual
 Much less well

C4. Been satisfied with the way you have carried out your task?
 More satisfied
 About same as usual
 Less satisfied than usual
 Much less satisfied

C5. Felt that you are playing a useful part in things?

 More so than usual
 Same as usual
 Rather less than usual
 Much less than usual

C6. Felt capable of making decisions about things?

 More so than usual
 Same as usual
 Rather less than usual
 Much less than usual

C7. Been able to enjoy your normal day-to-day activities?

 More so than usual
 Same as usual
 Rather less than usual
 Much less than usual

D1. Been thinking of yourself as a worthless person?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
  Much worse than usual

D2. Felt that life is entirely hopeless?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much worse than usual

D3. Felt that life in not worth living?

 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much worse than usual

D4. Thought of the possibility that you might make away with yourself?
 Definitely not
 I don’t think so
 Has crossed my mind
 Definitely have

D5. Found at times you could not do any thing because your nerves were too bad?
 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much worse than usual

D6. Found yourself wishing you were dead and away from it all?
 Not at all
 No more than usual
 Rather more than usual
 Much worse than usual

D7. Found that the idea of taking your own life kept coming into your mind ?
 Definitely not
 I don’t think so
  Has crossed my mind
 Definitely have

General Health Questionnaire(GHQ)

GHQ is a self-report questionnaire used to assess the presence and severity of the
psychiatric symptoms. Goldberg and Hiller developed the scaled version of GHQ in 1979. This
can be used in studies in which the investigator requires more information than is provided by a
simple severity score. The 28-item version of the GHQ was utilized for this study.
The general health questionnaire is a widely used instrument to assist in the detection and
estimation of non psychotic psychiatric illness. The 28-item GHQ, by factor analysis of the
items, incorporates the four subscales of somatic symptoms (item 1-7), anxiety and insomnia
(item 8-14), social dysfunction (item 15-21) and severe depression (item 22-28). There are no
thresholds for individual sub scales. They are used for providing individual diagnostic or profile
information. The 28 item,
The most popular and widely used of the GHQ was preferred , as being shorter than the original
GHQ-60, and at the same time have advantage of a scaled and comprehensive assessment than
the briefer versions, such as the GHQ-12.

Scoring
This scale consists of 28 items, each with four responses rated 0,0,1 and 1.
Thus the total scores range from 0 to 28, with higher scores indicating more psychological
problems and poorer well being. Scores of 6 and above indicate that the person is likely to have
psychological problems, which she/he is unable to cope with.