Factor structure of the Chinese version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHO-30): a confirmatory factor analysis

Abstract

The factor structure of responses to the Chinese version of the General Health Questionnaire (CGHQ-30) in a sample of 2,150 Chinese secondary school students was examined using the LISREL approach to confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed that while a five-factor model (Anxiety, Depression, Inadequate Coping, Social Dysfunctioning and Sleep Disturbances) was able to fit the data, a higher-order factor model with five primary factors (Anxiety, Depression, Inadequate Coping, Social Dysfunctioning and Sleep Disturbances) and a second-order factor (General Psychopathology) was found to be a more parsimonious model. The present findings are discussed with reference to the controversies that surround the dimensionality of the General Health Questionnaire.