Abstract
BackgroundIn epidemiological surveillance of mental health there is good reason to also include scales that measure the presence of well-being rather than merely symptoms of ill health. The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) is a self-reported scale to measure emotional, psychological and social well-being and conduct categorical diagnosis of positive mental health. This particular instrument includes the three core components of the World Health Organization’s definition of mental health and had previously not been psychometrically evaluated on adolescents in China.MethodsIn total 5,399 students (51.1 % female) from schools in the urban areas of Weifang in China were included in the study (mean age = 15.13, SD = 1.56). Participants completed a comprehensive questionnaire with several scales, among them the MHC-SF. Statistical analyses to evaluate reliability, structural validity, measurement invariance, presence of floor and ceiling effects and to some extent external validity of the MHC-SF were carried out.ResultsThe Cronbach’s α coefficients for sub-scales as well as the total scale were all above 0.80 indicating good reliability. Confirmative factor analysis confirmed the three-dimensional structure of the Chinese version of MHC-SF and supported the configural and metric invariance across gender and age. Noteworthy ceiling effects were observed for single items and sub-scales although not for the total scale. More importantly, observed floor effects were negligible. The stronger correlation found between MHC-SF and Minneapolis-Manchester Quality of Life Instrument (as measure of positive mental health) than between MHC-SF and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (as measure of mental illness and distress) yielded support for external validity.ConclusionIn conclusion, the main findings of this study are in line with studies from other countries that evaluated the psychometric properties of the MHC-SF and show that this instrument, that includes the three core components of the WHO definition of mental health, is useful in assessing positive adolescent mental health also in China.
Highlights
In epidemiological surveillance of mental health there is good reason to include scales that measure the presence of well-being rather than merely symptoms of ill health
Structural validity Three types of conceptual models were tested according to theoretical consideration and previous studies: (a) a single factor model only presenting mental health; (b) a dual factor model comprising one latent factor presenting hedonic well-being and one factor presenting eudaimonic well-being; (c) a triple factor model based on our hypothesis
The findings of the present study offer evidence to support the use of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) on adolescents and are in line with the studies from other countries that evaluated the psychometric properties of the MHC-SF
Summary
In epidemiological surveillance of mental health there is good reason to include scales that measure the presence of well-being rather than merely symptoms of ill health. The Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) is a self-reported scale to measure emotional, psychological and social well-being and conduct categorical diagnosis of positive mental health. This particular instrument includes the three core components of the World Health Organization’s definition of mental health and had previously not been psychometrically evaluated on adolescents in China. In China, about 175 million adolescents were identified by the latest national population census in 2010 [4] They experienced the lowest rate of mental health compared to other age groups [5]. Mental health problems may comprise a broad range of mild to severe symptoms, of which the more severe include mental disorders with significant functional impairments as well as adverse effects on life quality
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