The 12-item General Health Questionnaire factorial structure, sociodemographic and work-related factors of Ghanaian nurses and their association with stress: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: The factorial structure in the 12-item General Health Questionnaire and its use as an appropriate tool to determine the stress levels among various categories of health personnel have been widely reported. Nevertheless, its application within the Ghanaian context is limited. Therefore, This study aimed to identify the factorial structure in the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and determine the sociodemographic and work-related factors associated with stress among Ghanaian nurses using the GHQ-12. Methods: The factorial structure in the GHQ-12 was assessed by principal component analysis in this cross-sectional study. Using a multi-linear regression analysis, Ghanaian nurses' sociodemographic and work-related characteristics associated with stress were determined with the GHQ-12. Results: A total of 1000 nurses from three public health facilities took part in the study. Two factorial structures were extracted from the GHQ-12. Age, hospital type, type of ward and years of working experience were significantly associated with the two factorial structures extracted. Male nurses were significantly (p-value = .048) more stressed than female nurses. Nurses who worked at the tertiary hospital had the highest mean total GHQ-12 score of 13.1 (±7.4). Conclusions: A two-factorial structure was identified in the GHQ-12 among this cohort of Ghanaian nurses. Male nurses and nurses who worked at the tertiary health facility were more stressed. Identifying these sociodemographic factors associated with stress can go a long way in devising policies aimed at ameliorating stress among this essential category of health workers in Ghana.

Keywords

• 12-item General Health Questionnaire
• Nurses
• Stress
• Tamale