The sensitivity, specificity and reliability of the Malay version 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) in detecting distressed medical students.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the sensitivity, specificity and internal consistency of the Malay version GHQ-30 among medical student population. This study also determined the level of agreement between GHQ-30 and M-BDI. Methods: The Malay version GHQ-30 and Malay version Beck Depression Inventory (M-BDI) were administered to 190 medical students. ROC curve analysis was applied to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the GHQ-30 by testing against the M-BDI diagnoses. Reliability and Kappa analysis were applied to test internal consistency of the GHQ and to determine the level of agreement between GHQ-30 and M-BDI respectively. Results: 141 (74.2%) medical students participated in this study. The GHQ-30 sensitivity and specificity at cut-off point of 5/6 was 87.5% and 80.6% respectively with positive predictive value (PPV) of 70% as well as area under ROC curve was 0.84. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the GHQ-30 was 0.93. The Kappa coefficient was 0.64 (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study showed the Malay version GHQ-30 is a valid and reliable screening tool in detecting distressed medical students. The GHQ-30 score equal to or more than 6 was considered as significant distress. The GHQ-30 showed a good level of agreement with M-BDI in detecting distressed medical students.