Abstract
Positive mental health and well-being are significant dimensions of health, employment, and educational outcomes. Research on positive mental health and well-being requires measurement instruments in native languages for use in local contexts and target populations. This study examines the psychometric properties of the Kazakhstani version of the Mental Health Continuum—Short Form (MHC-SF), a brief self-report instrument measuring emotional, social, and psychological well-being. The sample included 664 University students (425 females) purposefully selected in three higher education institutions in South, East, and Central Kazakhstan. Their average age was 20.25 and ranged from 18 to 43. Participants completed a Kazakhstani version of the MHC-SF online. Statistical analyses to evaluate the structural validity, reliability, and measurement invariance of the Kazakhstani version of the MHC-SF were performed. The results confirmed the superiority of the bifactor model (i.e., three separated factors of well-being plus a general factor of well-being) over the alternatives. However, most of the reliable variance was attributable to the general well-being factor. Subscale scores were unreliable, explaining very low variance beyond that explained by the general factor. The findings demonstrated the measurement invariance of the MHC-SF across gender and age. Overall, these findings support the use of the Kazakhstani version of the MHC-SF to examine a general factor of well-being and the measurement invariance of the instrument across gender and age groups. However, the results advise against the interpretation of the subscale scores as unequivocal indicators of emotional, social, and psychological well-being.
Highlights
The WHO defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (World Health Organization, 2004, p. 12)
International interest in positive mental health and wellbeing has grown exponentially in recent decades due to the significant effects they have on health, employment, and educational outcomes
Based on the diagnostic criteria of mental health as measured by the Mental Health Continuum—Short Form (MHC-SF), the findings revealed that 19.4% of the sample were languishing, 49.8% were moderately mentally healthy, and 30.7% were flourishing
Summary
The WHO defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (World Health Organization, 2004, p. 12). It builds upon two long-standing traditions in positive psychology: hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The eudaimonic approach focuses on self-realization and meaning and defines well-being as the degree to which a person is functioning appropriately (Ryan and Deci, 2001; Keyes, 2006, 2007; Jovanovic, 2015; Joshanloo and Lamers, 2016). The Mental Health Continuum—Short Form (MHC-SF) (Keyes et al, 2008) is one of the most widely used self-report instruments to measure positive mental health and well-being around the world in clinical (e.g., Silverman et al, 2018; van Erp Taalman Kip and Hutschemaekers, 2018; Donnelly et al, 2019), work (e.g., Jaotombo, 2019), and educational settings (e.g., de Carvalho et al, 2016; Luijten et al, 2019)
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