The Pave Project Report - Queen's University Belfast

The PAVE Project Report 29
2. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) has been used widely in
Northern Ireland and internationally as indicator of psychiatric disturbance
(Goldberg, McDowell, & Newell, 1996). GHQ-30 is scored on the standard
binary scale, and has a threshold score of 5, at which respondents are
classified as cases or non-cases. Scoring over 5, and thus being classified as
case, means that the respondent is likely suffering levels of tension, anxiety,
and depression that have an adverse effect on their physical and mental wellbeing.
There is a 95% probability that respondents who score 10 or more are
suffering severe psychological distress or even emotional illness (Tennant,
1977).
3. The Beck Depression Inventory – Second Edition (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, &
Garbin, 1988) is a 21-item self-report rating inventory. Each question is scored
between 0-3 and total scores are rated normal ups and downs (scores of 5-9),
mild to moderate depression (scores of 10-18), moderate to severe depression
(scores of 19-29), or severe depression (scores of 30-63). Scores below 4 are
unusual and are thought to possibly indicate denial of depression. Scores over
40 are significantly higher than those of most severely depressed persons, and
thus may mean that depression is exaggerated and other personality disorders
are present (Groth-Marnat, 1990).
4. The Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS; Foa, Cashman, Jaycox, &
Perry, 1997) is a self-administered inventory that indicates symptoms and