The Interval General Health Questionnaire

Abstract

An adaptation of the LIFE procedure was used with a self-report questionnaire to assess 173 medical students, close to their enrolment and again about six months later. The assessment procedure enabled changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression over the interval between interviews to be recorded and the subsequent classification of the symptom patterns into course categories. While women scored markedly higher than men at initial assessment, this was not so at follow-up. Almost 25% of students reported the co-occurrence of at least five psychological symptoms at some time during the six months. For many students these were of a persistent nature. The adapted GHQ meets the dual demands of restricted interview time and the need to assess the more minor psychological conditions.