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Validation of the Italian version of the GHQ in a general practice setting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

F. Fontanesi ,
C. Gobetti ,
Ch. Zimmermann-Tansella  and
M. Tansella
F. Fontanesi
Affiliation:
Cattedra di Psicologia Medica, Istituto di Psichiatria, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy
C. Gobetti
Affiliation:
Cattedra di Psicologia Medica, Istituto di Psichiatria, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy
Ch. Zimmermann-Tansella
Affiliation:
Cattedra di Psicologia Medica, Istituto di Psichiatria, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy
M. Tansella*
Affiliation:
Cattedra di Psicologia Medica, Istituto di Psichiatria, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy
*
1Address for correspondence: Professor Michele Tansella, Cattedra di Psicologia Medica, Istituto di Psichiatria, Università di Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy.
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Synopsis

The 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS) were administered to 120 consecutive attendere at a general practice in Northern Italy run by a doctor who had a formal psychiatric training. The Italian versions of both the GHQ and the CIS were found to be feasible instruments for general practice studies in Italy. GHQ misclassification rates, sensitivity and specificity values are presented for different cut-off scores, a total score of 5 or more being the best discriminator between ‘cases’ and ‘non-cases’. The prevalence of confirmed cases in this sample was 47·5%, a rate higher than those reported so far in developed and developing countries.

Type
Preliminary Communication
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , May 1985 , pp. 411 - 415
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

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