The effect of re-testing on the validity of the General Health Questionnaire

Abstract

The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) has been shown to be a valid instrument for the screening of psychological impairment in a group of Yugoslav medical students. However, consecutive testing of the same population revealed a fall in sensitivity to the unacceptably low figure of 64.7%. A high proportion of false negative results related to two facts: misrepresentation by cases when answering the GHQ; and recall bias on the part of the psychiatrist, i. e. his inability to ignore his previous knowledge of the patients when diagnosing their present condition. © 1988 Springer-Verlag.