Research Article: Psychometric evaluation of the factor structure of the General Health Questionnaire-12 in a sample of Chinese university students
Abstract:
The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is widely used for assessing psychological distress, yet debates persist regarding its optimal factor structure, especially across different cultural contexts and demographic groups. While the bi-factor model has gained empirical support in Western populations, limited research has examined its validity in Chinese university students. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the GHQ-12 in Chinese university students by examining its factor structure through Classical Test Theory.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of Chinese university students ( n =?511). The dataset was randomly split into two samples, sample 1 ( n =?260) and sample 2 ( n =?251) for EFA and CFA, respectively. The study evaluated the construct validity of the GHQ-12 one-factor, two-factor, three-factor, and bi-factor models using CFA.
EFA revealed a two-factor structure with strong fit. CFA results demonstrated that the bi-factor model showed the best overall numerical fit, whereas the two-factor model was retained as the preferred solution because it demonstrated strong and balanced factor loadings, conceptual interpretability, and greater parsimony ( ? 2 =?83.3, df?=?53; CFI?=?0.989; TLI?=?0.986; RMSEA?=?0.048; SRMR?=?0.063). Internal consistency was excellent ( ? =?0.838, ? =?0.842), and convergent validity was moderate with WHO-5 ( r =??0.339) and SWEMWBS ( r =??0.475).
The GHQ-12 demonstrates acceptable psychometric properties in Chinese university students. The two-factor model was retained as the preferred solution based on interpretability and parsimony, although the bi-factor model showed superior global fit indices. These findings support the use of the GHQ-12 for mental health screening and future psychometric research in Chinese youth populations.
Introduction:
The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is widely used for assessing psychological distress, yet debates persist regarding its optimal factor structure, especially across different cultural contexts and demographic groups. While the bi-factor model has gained empirical support in Western populations, limited research has examined its validity in Chinese university students. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the GHQ-12 in Chinese university students by examining its factor…
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