A continuous assessment and a categorical diagnosis of the presence of mental health, described as flourishing, and the absence of mental health, characterized as languishing, is applied to a random sample of 1050 Setswana-speaking adults in the Northwest province of South Africa. Factor analysis revealed that the mental health continuum-short form (MHC-SF) replicated the three-factor structure of emotional, psychological and social well-being found in US samples. The internal reliability of the overall MHC-SF Scale was 0.74. The total score on the MHC-SF correlated 0.52 with a measure of positive affect, between 0.35 and 0.40 with measures of generalized self-efficacy and satisfaction with life, and between 0.30 and 0.35 with measures of coping strategies, sense of coherence, and community collective self-efficacy. The total score on the MHC-SF correlated -0.22 with the total score on the General Health Questionnaire. Criteria for the categorical diagnosis were applied, and findings revealed that 20% were flourishing, 67.8% were moderately mentally healthy, and 12.2% were languishing. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized two-continua model of mental health and mental illness found in the USA.

This study focused on the experiences of eight female participants who were responsible for the daily care of their husbands, all of whom were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. An essentially qualitative research approach, triangulated with certain quantitative measures, was used to identify both stressors and strengths reported by these caregivers. Results from mental health questionnaires showed that the comprehensive social, economic and health-related stressors experienced by caregivers put them at risk of developing serious mental health problems. However, qualitative data obtained from support group discussions, individual interviews and personal diaries highlighted the particular strengths that these caregivers showed and made use of during the caregiving process. These identified sources of resilience might in future contribute towards the development of a programme aimed at keeping this, and similar groups known to be prone to the development of stress-related illnesses, psychologically strong.

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