Psychiatric morbidity among people aged 85+ in 1987. A follow-up study at two and a half years: Associations with changes in psychiatric morbidity

This article reports findings from a longitudinal survey of very elderly people living at home in London. The research aimed to identify social, psychological and physical characteristics associated with positive ageing and successful survival in the community in later life and its converse—negative ageing—as well as the associated policy implications. Associations with psychiatric morbidity, measured using the General Health Questionnaire, among sample members without cognitive impairment between the baseline interviews in 1987 and at follow-up, two and a half years later in 1990, are reported. Twenty-five per cent of survivors scored over the threshold of the GHQ in 1987 and 30% scored over the threshold in 1990. Half of those with a score over the threshold in 1990 also scored over the threshold in 1987. Hierarchical regression (using residualized change analysis) was used to estimate the effects of the independent variables on changes in psychiatric morbidity. The most significant predictor of psychiatric morbidity (GHQ score) in 1990 was baseline GHQ score, followed by health and functional status scores. Health and functional status were also the strongest predictors of baseline (1987) GHQ scores. The uniqueness of the study lies in the collection of follow-up data on a sample of very elderly people, given that most surveys are corss-sectional and contain too few people aged 85+ to merit separate analysis. It contributes to the small body of literature on outcome of depression. The lack of consistent associations with recovery from psychiatric morbidity in the literature enhances the importance of studies aiming to identify factors associated with different outcomes.     

High score on the Relative Stress Scale, a marker of possible psychiatric disorder in family carers of patients with dementia

OBJECTIVE: To compare the scores on the Relative Stress Scale (RSS) with those on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and to establish a cut-off score for RSS in order to distinguish carers with symptoms of psychiatric disorders from those without. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-four carers of 194 patients suffering from dementia according to ICD-10 were included in the study. Burden of care was assessed by the 15-items RSS, and psychiatric symptoms by means of the GHQ-30 and the 30-items GDS. A case score above 5 on GHQ and above 13 on GDS were used to define carers with probable psychiatric morbidity. Sensitivity (SS), specificity (SP), accuracy and likelihood ratio for a positive test (LR+) were calculated for different cut-points of the RSS. RESULTS: Fifty-six percent of the carers had a GHQ score above 5, and 22% had a GDS score above 13. A two-step cluster analysis using 192 of the 194 carers, identified three groups of carers; a low risk group for psychiatric morbidity (LRG), 82 carers with GHQ < or = 5 and GDS < or = 13; a medium risk group (MRG), 69 carers with GHQ > 5 and GDS < or = 13; and a high-risk group (HRG), 40 carers with GHQ > 5 and GDS > 13. The optimal RSS cut-off to distinguish between the LRG and the others was > 23 (SS 0.72, SP 0.82, accuracy 0.76, LR + 4.0), whereas the optimal cut-off to separate the HRG from the others was >30 (SS 0.74, SP 0.87, accuracy 0.84, LR + 5.7). CONCLUSION: The RSS is a useful instrument to stratify carers according to their risk of psychiatric morbidity.     

Is the General Health Questionnaire (12 item) a culturally biased measure of psychiatric disorder?

There have been suggestions that some self-administered questionnaires designed to assess psychiatric disorder tend to overestimate prevalence in samples from Latin America. This phenomenon may be obscured when the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is used, as it is recommended that researchers determine the threshold in each setting by comparing the GHQ with a standardised interview. Reports in the literature suggest that Latin American samples have a higher threshold for case definition using the GHQ than that found in British samples. The present study confirmed this finding when comparing the 12-item GHQ in a Chilean primary care sample with a sample of primary care attenders from the United Kingdom. The increase in GHQ scores in the Chilean sample persisted after adjustment for age, sex, marital status and the score on the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). The increase in scores seen in the Chilean sample was only found in that half of the GHQ that asks about negative aspects of mental health.     

Psychological disorders and symptoms in primary care

Background Psychological symptoms that do not reach the threshold for formal diagnosis are disregarded in prevalence rates and are apparently assumed to be transient and of little clinical importance. Method Consecutive primary care attenders (n = 2379) were screened using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and a stratified random sample (n = 704) completed baseline structured diagnostic interview, disability assessment, and the 28-item version of the GHQ (GHQ-28). Subjects with significant psychiatric symptoms and a random sample of those without (n = 263) were evaluated with the same measures 12 months later. Results While 25 % of the baseline sample scored 5 or more on the GHQ-28, only 10 % met the ICD-10 criteria for one or more disorders. At baseline, caseness on either the GHQ or ICD-10 was associated with poor self-rated overall health, interviewer-rated occupational disability and with more disability days in prior month. At 12-month follow-up, being a case on the GHQ at baseline, but not on ICD-10, was associated with disability, poor health perception and high health service utilization. Conclusion Psychological symptoms that may not reach diagnostic threshold are associated with impaired functioning over 12 months. Individuals with such symptoms may be identified using self-report questionnaires for dimensional symptoms, such as the GHQ-28. Accepted: 8 February 2002     

The rationale, development and reliability of a new screening psychiatric instrument

Background: This paper describes the rationale, development, reliability and validity of a new screening psychiatric instrument. Method: The instrument comprises 26 items that tap the cardinal features of main psychiatric categories as defined by ICD-10 and DSM-IV. These items were adapted from various structured and semi-structured diagnostic interviews that yield ICD-10 and DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses. After a training course, 12 trainees and the trainer rated blindly the 26 items on 45 subjects (22 with psychopathology and 23 without). Inter-rater reliability coefficient (Kappa) was estimated between trainees and the trainer on each item of the instrument. The total score on the new instrument was then correlated with the total score on the Arabic Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and the Arabic version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in a random sample from the general population (n=365). Logistic regression was utilised to estimate the power of the total score on the new instrument in discriminating between cases and non-cases as classified by the SRQ-20. Results: Excellent levels of agreement (Kappa > 0.80) were found for all items except for obsession (Kappa = 0.65) and for depressed mood (Kappa = 0.70). Moderate correlations were found between the total score on the new instrument and total score on SRQ-20 (r = 0.69) and the total score on the Arabic GHQ (r = 0.7). The new instrument correctly classified 89% of subjects into cases and non-cases. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that the new instrument is a highly reliable and valid screening instrument. The authors are now investigating its test-retest reliability and its procedural validity. Accepted: 6 November 1998     

Comparison of the GHQ-36, the GHQ-12 and the SCL-90 as psychiatric screening instruments in the Finnish population

The aim of the study was to compare the screening properties of two General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) versions and the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90), and to evaluate them as psychiatric screening instruments in Finland. We administered the GHQ-36 and the SCL-90 to psychiatric outpatients (n = 207) and to a community sample (n = 315). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to estimate the screening performance of the two instruments and of the GHQ-12 extracted from the GHQ-36. The screening properties of the scales were found to be good and similar. Suggested optimal cut-off points were 3/4 for the GHQ-12, 8/9 for the GHQ-36 and 0.90/0.91 for the SCL-90. In conclusion, the scales functioned equally well in screening. This favors the GHQ-12 for pure screening. When information on the symptom level is also needed, the GHQ-36 and the SCL-90 become better choices. The cut-off points presented here should be considered in the future Finnish psychiatric screening studies.     

Social factors associated with chronic depression among a population-based sample of women in rural Pakistan

Abstract Objective Previous studies have reported a high prevalence of depression in women in Pakistan. This paper investigates whether risk factors for chronic depression established in studies performed in Western countries can explain this high prevalence. Method A two–phase survey using the self–rating questionnaire (SRQ) for common mental disorders and the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule was performed on a general population sample in rural Pakistan. Demographic data and results of the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule were analysed in relation to SRQ score and psychiatric disorder. Results A total of 145 women were screened. High SRQ score was associated with low educational status, not having a confidant, having four or more children, being older, not being married and living in a house with more than three people per room. Regression analysis demonstrated that the first three of these independently contributed to SRQ score. In the interviewed sample (74 women), only educational level independently contributed to the presence of depression. In addition, the least educated group experienced the greatest number of marked difficulties: 67% of them had experienced both marked housing and financial difficulties compared to 28% and 25% of the other educational groups (p = 0.005). Experiencing both housing and financial difficulties was a significant risk factor for depression in women with secondary education, but not for those without secondary education. Conclusions This study suggests that high levels of social adversity and low levels of education are strongly associated with depression in women in Pakistan. The other vulnerability factors found in the West (such as lack of a confidant, the presence of three or more young children at home, or loss of mother during childhood) may be of lesser importance in this population.     

Obsessions in normality and psychopathology

Background: This study examines the presence of obsessions in the general population and in various psychiatric disorders. Second, the impact of obsessions is studied in terms of general functioning and quality of life in the general population. Methods: Data were derived from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS), a large representative sample of the Dutch population ( n = 7,076). Diagnostic criteria were assessed by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The association of quality of life and obsessions on each subject was assessed by using Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF‐36) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Results: Obsessions occurred frequently in the general population: the lifetime prevalence of obsessions was 5.3% and the 12‐month prevalence was 1.7%. Subjects with obsessions scored significantly worse ( P <.0001) on all eight dimensions of the SF‐36 as well as on the GHQ. When controlling for the presence of any mental disorder, the negative association of obsessions and low general health and well‐being remained significantly intact. In patients with a psychiatric disorder, obsessions had a lifetime prevalence of 10.3% and a 12‐month prevalence of 6.8%. Conclusions: Obsessions are common phenomena in the general population and are associated with decreased functioning in several areas of health and well‐being. Furthermore, they occur frequently in the presence of various psychiatric disorders. Obsessions should be perceived, similar to delusions, as a distinct dimension across psychiatric disorders rather than a mere symptom of OCD. Depression and Anxiety, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Distress and functioning in mixed anxiety and depressive disorder

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the validity of mixed anxiety and depressive disorder (MADD) with reference to functional characteristics and symptomatic characteristics in comparison with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and groups showing subthreshold symptoms (exclusively depressive or anxiety related). The present study was carried out in the following three medical settings: two psychiatric and one primary care. Patients seeking care in psychiatric institutions due to anxiety and depressive symptoms and attending primary medical settings for any reason were taken into account. A total of 104 patients (65 women and 39 men, mean age 41.1 years) were given a General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and Present State Examination questionnaire, a part of Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry, Version 2.0. There were no statistically relevant differences between MADD and anxiety disorders in median GHQ score (19 vs 16) and median GAF score (median 68.5 vs 65). When considering depressive disorders the median GHQ score (28) was higher, and median GAF score (59) was lower than that in MADD. In groups with separated subthreshold anxiety or depressive symptoms, median GHQ scores (12) were lower and median GAF scores (75) were higher than that in MADD. The most frequent symptoms of MADD are symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and depression. Mixed anxiety and depressive disorder differs significantly from GAD only in higher rates of depressed mood and lower rates of somatic anxiety symptoms. Distinction from depression was clearer; six of 10 depressive symptoms are more minor in severity in MADD than in the case of depression. Distress and interference with personal functions in MADD are similar to that of other anxiety disorders. A pattern of MADD symptoms locates this disorder between depression and GAD.     

Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents in Lebanon Study (PALS): a national household survey

Introduction

Psychiatric disorders are among the leading causes of disability in children and adolescents globally. In Lebanon, a country that has endured a prolonged history of conflict and economic and political uncertainty, mental health surveys in children and adolescents have been limited to specific disorders or specific settings or cities. PALS (Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents in Lebanon Study) is the first study to screen a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents for psychiatric disorders and estimate the national prevalence of children and adolescents at risk of having a psychiatric disorder.

Methods

A nationally representative household sample of 1517 children and adolescents (aged 5 years 0 months to 17 years 11 months) was recruited through a multi-stage stratified proportionate sampling technique between February 2018 and November 2018. Parents and adolescents completed a battery of self-reported scales including the Strengths and Feelings Questionnaire (SDQ), Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ), Screen for Child Anxiety and Emotional Related Disorders (SCARED), the Peer Relations Questionnaire (PRQ), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and Conflict Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), Child Revised Impact of Events Scale (CRIES), and a demographic/clinical information questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to examine the correlates of screening positive for psychiatric disorders.

Results

About a third of children and adolescents (32.7%, n = 497) screened positive for at least one psychiatric disorder, of whom only 5% (n = 25) reported ever seeking professional mental health help. Academic performance, having a chronic physical illness, higher parental GHQ scores, and involvement in bullying were associated with a higher odds of screening positive for a psychiatric disorder. Higher family income was negatively associated with screening positive for a psychiatric disorder.

Conclusion

This first national study shows a high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in Lebanese children and adolescents and an alarming treatment gap. School-based primary prevention programs or screening in primary care settings are key for early detection and management of psychiatric symptoms, and prevention of psychiatric disorders.