Can the 12-item General Health Questionnaire be used to identify medical students who might 'struggle' on the medical course? A prospective study on two cohorts.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Students who fail to thrive on the Nottingham undergraduate medical course frequently suffer from anxiety, depression or other mental health problems. These difficulties may be the cause, or the result of, academic struggling. Early detection of vulnerable students might direct pastoral care and remedial support to where it is needed. We investigated the use of the short-form General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) as a possible screening tool.

Methods

Two consecutive cohorts (2006 and 2007) were invited to complete the GHQ-12. The questionnaire was administered online, during the second semester (after semester 1 exams) for the 2006 cohort and during the first semester for the 2007 cohort. All data were held securely and confidentially. At the end of the course, GH

SUBMITTER: James D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3616988 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature