Using the 12-divisions General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to assess the psychological health of Malaysian college students

• Main Authors: Zulkefly, Nor Sheereen, Baharudin, Rozumah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Center of Science and Education 2010
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17555/1/Using%20the%2012-divisions%20General%20Health%20Questionnaire%20%28GHQ-12%29%20to%20assess%20the%20psychological%20health%20of%20Malaysian%20College%20Students..pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17555/; http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/gjhs/article/view/3852

The primary objective of this study was to assess the psychological health of students at a local university in Malaysia using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Additionally, the study was carried out to determine the reliability and factor structure of the GHQ-12. Sample comprised 386 students (female=177, male=209) who were selected using multistage cluster sampling. A self administered questionnaire was used to collect the data required. Results showed that slightly more than half (52.9%) of the respondents scored low on the GHQ-12, and a substantial proportion (47.1%) of them scored high, indicating an unhealthy psychological state. Nevertheless, no differences were observed between the genders. Reliability analysis showed satisfactory results, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.70. Meanwhile, factor analysis revealed that GHQ-12 was a measure of psychological distress, with a three-factor structure (Psychological Distress, Social and Emotional Dysfunction and Cognitive Disorder), which jointly accounted for 51.9% of the variance. The findings of the study therefore affirm that the GHQ-12 is a good measure for assessing the overall psychological well-being of students in Malaysia.