A new study examined the Patient Health Questionnaire, the PHQ, which has been used since the 1990s and is required by some government agencies. The paper appears in JAMA Psychiatry and was led by Zachary Cohen at the University of Arizona.
About 850 people first completed a PHQ and then read a short example. The example asked them to imagine oversleeping nearly every day for a week but not being bothered, for instance on vacation. Many people said they would answer the PHQ differently in that situation.
The researchers suggest changing the PHQ wording to ask separately about how often a symptom happens and whether it bothers the person.
Difficult words
- questionnaire — a set of written questions for people
- require — to need something by rule or lawrequired
- agency — an official organization that works for governmentagencies
- oversleep — to sleep later than planned or usualoversleeping
- bother — to make someone feel annoyed or worriedbothered, bothers
- symptom — a sign of a sickness or health problem
- wording — the choice of words in a sentence or text
- suggest — to offer an idea or a possible change
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever answered a health questionnaire differently because of a special situation? Give one short example.
- Do you think questions should ask how often a symptom happens and whether it bothers you separately? Why or why not?
- When would you not be bothered by a symptom? Give one example.
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