The factor structure of the 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) in young Chinese civil servants

BACKGROUND The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is a commonly used screening instrument for measuring mental disorders. However, few studies have measured the mental health of Chinese professionals or explored the factor structure of the GHQ-12 through investigations of young Chinese civil servants. METHOD This study analyses the factor structure of the GHQ-12 on young Chinese civil servants. Respondents include 1051 participants from six cities in eastern China. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is used to identify the potential factor structure of the GHQ-12. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) models of previous studies are referred to for model fitting. RESULTS The results indicate the GHQ-12 has very good reliability and validity. All ten CFA models are well fitted with the actual data. CONCLUSION All the ten models are feasible and fit the data equally well. The Chinese version of the GHQ-12 is suitable for professional groups and can serve as a screening tool to detect anxiety and psychiatric disorders.