On Friday 24 May at 13:00, Henrik Schou Pedersen defends his PhD dissertation entitled "Use and validation of psychometric tests in general practice".

Stress, depression and anxiety are common mental disorders that contribute significantly to the burden of disease in the Danish population. Most mental disorders are identified, diagnosed and treated in general practice, and there are several different psychometric tests that can assist the GP in the processes of diagnosing, assessing severity and monitoring treatment effect. These tests are frequently used in Danish general practice. Therefore, there is a great need to ensure their quality.

A new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health, has investigated the use of psychometric tests in Danish general practice and the psychometric properties of three frequently used psychometric tests: the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) and the Anxiety Symptom Scale (ASS). The results indicate that the ASS can be used as a measure of anxiety burden, and that higher precision can be achieved for the PSS and the MDI by using modified versions of the existing tests.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Samfundsmedicinsk Auditorium (1262-101), Aarhus University. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Henrik Schou Pedersen

Mail: henrikp@ph.au.dk

Phone: (+45) 87167924

Read full press release