The factor structure of the GHQ-30 for mothers with young children

Abstract

A comparison is made between the factor structure for the 30-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) found for an American sample (Goldberg et al., 1976) and that obtained for two samples of British mothers of young children. In the American study the first factor extracted loaded most heavily on items concerned with anxiety and depression. In the present study a more general first factor was obtained in three separate factor analyses that accounted for a larger proportion of the variance in the item scores (37 per cent, 34 per cent, 35 per cent). It is concluded that a number of possible sample characteristics could be affecting the obtained factor structure. It is necessary to exercise caution before adopting a previously established factor structure to compute subscale scores for this instrument.