CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Practicals

By
Prof. Akshara
Assistant Professor
Center for Distance and Online Education,
Jain (Deemed-to-be University),
Bengaluru.
Contents
1. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
2. Hamilton Anxiety Scale

3. Beck’s Depression Inventory

4. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Introduction

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.
The GHQ-28 was developed by the psychiatrist Sir.David Goldberg in London in
1978 and has been translated into 38 different languages.
The scale contains 28 statements to screen for emotional distress and possible
psychiatric morbidity.
 General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Introduction

Method to quantify the risk of developing psychiatric disorders.

It targets two areas:
The inability to carry out normal functions and the appearance of distress.
To assess well-being in a person.
 General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Introduction

The Different Versions of General Health Questionnaire

GHQ 60: The fully detailed 60-item questionnaire.
GHQ 30: A short version without items relating to physical illness.
GHQ 28: A 28 item scaled version which assesses somatic symptoms,
anxiety and insomnia and in addition, dysfunction and severe depression.
GHQ 12: A quick reliable and sensitive short form that is ideal for research
studies.
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Aim: To assess the health of the individual by administering the General Health
Questionnaire
Plan: ToAssess General health of the subject by administering General Health
Questionnaire
Materials: 1. General Health Questionnaire 2.Norms For Interpretation 3. Writing
Materials
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Procedure: Seat the Subject comfortably and build rapport, when the subject feels
comfortable then instruct thus, “ Here are few questions and containing four possible
alternatives. We would like to know if you have had any medical complaints and how
your health has been in general over the past weeks. Remember that we want to know
about present and recent complaints, not those that you had in the past. There is no
time limit but try to finish as fast as you can. There is no right or wrong answer and your
result will be kept confidential.”
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Precautions:
Make sure that the participant has understood the instructions clearly.
The participant should not leave any question unanswered.
There is no time limit, the participant should work quickly.
Assure the participant that confidentiality will be maintained.
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Scoring and Interpretation:
It can be scored from 0 to 3 for each response with a total possible score on the
ranging from 0 to 84.
Alternatively the GHQ-28 can be scored with a binary method where Not at all, and
No more than usual score 0, and Rather more than usual and Much more than
usual score 1. Using this method any score above 4 indicates the presence of distress
or ‘caseness’.
Higher GHQ-28 scores indicate higher levels of distress.
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Scoring and Interpretation:
Goldberg suggests that participants with total scores of 23 or below should be
classified as non-psychiatric, while participants with scores > 24 may be classified as
psychiatric, but this score is not an absolute cut-off.
 3 and below (Low)
A. Somatic Symptoms 4-6 (Average)
7 and above (High)

4 and below (Low)

B. Anxiety/ Insomnia 5-8 (Average)
9 and above (High)

1and below (Low)

C. Social Dysfunction 2-5 (Average)
6 and above (High)

1and below (Low)

D. Severe Depression 2-5 (Average)
6 and above (High)

15 and below (Low)

Total Score 16-27 (Average)
28 and above (High)
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
RESULT
Table showing the dimensions, raw scores and the interpretation of the General health
questionnaire.
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Discussion:
The aim of the test is to assess the emotional distress and to check any possible
psychiatric morbidity.
The test was administered on the subject named _____, aged _____currently studying
in the _______.
In the somatic dimension the subject has obtained the raw score of _____which is
interpreted as having _______.
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Discussion:
In the dimension of anxiety and insomnia, the subject has obtained the raw
score of ____which is interpreted as having _____.
In the dimension of social dysfunction, the subject has obtained the raw score
of ____which is interpreted as having _____.
In the dimension of severe depression, the subject has obtained the score of _____
which indicates that she has _____ in this dimension.
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Applications

The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) is a widely used screening tool for
assessing mental health and detecting psychiatric disorders.
Clinical Screening: to screen patients for potential psychiatric disorders such as
anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms. It helps in identifying individuals
who may need further evaluation or treatment. It allows for early detection
and intervention for common mental health disorders in primary care settings.
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Applications

Research Studies: assess the mental health status of participants. It can be employed
in longitudinal studies, epidemiological research, and clinical trials to evaluate
changes in mental health over time or assess the effectiveness of interventions.
Occupational Health: to assess the psychological well-being of employees.
Employers may administer the questionnaire to identify workplace stressors,
evaluate the impact of work-related factors on mental health, and implement
appropriate interventions to improve employee well-being.
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Psychological Counseling: to assess the severity of psychological distress in clients.
It helps in developing individualized treatment plans and monitoring progress over
time.
Community Surveys: The GHQ-28 can be included in community health surveys to
assess the prevalence of mental health problems within a population. This
information is valuable for public health planning and resource allocation to
address mental health needs at the community level.
General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28)
Cross-cultural Studies: used in cross-cultural studies to compare mental health
outcomes across different populations. It allows researchers to explore cultural
differences in the expression and experience of psychological distress.
References
https://ijip.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/18.01.194-20160302.pdf
https://www.scribd.com/document/265384313/28-ghq
https://www.who.int/about/accountability/governance/constitution