Premium
Evaluating the psychometric properties of the mental health Continuum‐Short Form (MHC‐SF)
Author(s) -
Lamers Sanne M.A.,
Westerhof Gerben J.,
Bohlmeijer Ernst T.,
ten Klooster Peter M.,
Keyes Corey L.M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20741
Subject(s) - discriminant validity , psychology , convergent validity , mental health , clinical psychology , mental illness , confirmatory factor analysis , test validity , psychiatry , psychometrics , structural equation modeling , internal consistency , statistics , mathematics
There is a growing consensus that mental health is not merely the absence of mental illness, but it also includes the presence of positive feelings (emotional well‐being) and positive functioning in individual life (psychological well‐being) and community life (social well‐being). We examined the structure, reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the Mental Health Continuum‐Short Form (MHC‐SF), a new self‐report questionnaire for positive mental health assessment. We expected that the MHC‐SF is reliable and valid, and that mental health and mental illness are 2 related but distinct continua. This article draws on data of the LISS panel of CentERdata, a representative panel for Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences ( N = 1,662). Results revealed high internal and moderate test‐retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the 3‐factor structure in emotional, psychological, and social well‐being. These subscales correlated well with corresponding aspects of well‐being and functioning, showing convergent validity. CFA supported the hypothesis of 2 separate yet related factors for mental health and mental illness, showing discriminant validity. Although related to mental illness, positive mental health is a distinct indicator of mental well‐being that is reliably assessed with the MHC‐SF. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 00:1–12, 2010.