Peruvian adaptation and validation of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in healthcare workers

Introduction: Working conditions in the healthcare environment have an impact on the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers. In order to conduct timely measurement in Peru, validated and easy-to-administer instruments are required. Objective: To adapt and validate the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ -12) in healthcare workers in Peru. Methods: An instrumental study was conducted involving 432 partici-pants from the Peruvian healthcare system, selected through stratified ran-dom sampling. The process included content evaluation by experts and a pilot test. Construct validity was assessed through exploratory factor analy-sis. The number of factors was determined using Horn's parallel analysis and verified through confirmatory factor analysis, employing various estimation methods. Reliability, discriminant validity, correlation, and predictive validity were analyzed. Results: A version of the questionnaire with twelve items grouped into two factors, explaining 58.68% of the total variance, was confirmed. The model showed good fit indices independently of the estimation method used. The items demonstrated adequate discrimination, as did the ques-tionnaire, according to gender and profession. Correlation and predictive validity were satisfactory. The overall internal consistency, as assessed by McDonald's omega, was adequate (& omega; = 0.853), as well as the ordinal alpha for general dysphoria (0.919) and social dysfunction (0.828). Conclusions: Solid evidence of construct validity and reliability of the Pe-ruvian version of the GHQ-12 is reported. Therefore, it is recommended for assessing the mental status of healthcare workers.