A Greek Translation of the Brunel Mood Scale: Initial Validation among Exercise Participants and Inactive Adults

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to provide initial validity evidence of a Greek translation of the 24-item Brunel Mood Scale, referred to as the BRUMS-Greek, a measure of anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension, and vigour. Data were collected from 1417 Greek adult exercise participants and 369 physically inactive adults, totaling 1786 adults (male = 578, female = 1208) aged 18–64 years (M = 34.73 ± 11.81 years). Given the large univariate and multivariate non-normality, a confirmatory factor analyses treating responses as ordered categorical variables was conducted which supported the hypothesised six-correlated factor measurement model. The internal consistency reliability of the BRUMS-Greek subscales was supported via Cronbach alpha coefficients. The construct validity of the scales was supported (a) via correlations in the hypothesised direction with trait positive and negative affect, (b) with more positive and less negative moods reported immediately after participation in a single exercise class compared to pre-exercise mood, and (c) with exercise participants reporting more positive and less negative mood states compared to physically inactive adults. Women reported higher tension and lower vigour scores than men. Tension scores were higher and confusion scores lower among younger participants (≤35 years) than older participants (≥36 years). Participants with obesity reported higher negative mood scores than those who were underweight or normal weight. In sum, the BRUMS-Greek demonstrated acceptable psychometric characteristics, and is proposed to be a suitable measure for use with exercise participants, physically inactive adults, and other Greek populations to explore research questions related to mood.

Mood Profile Clusters among Greek Exercise Participants and Inactive Adults

“…The four item scores were summed to generate six subscale scores, with a possible range from 0 to 16. The BRUMS-Greek has demonstrated adequate factorial validity, concurrent validity, known-groups validity and internal consistency [7]. In the present study, all Cronbach alpha coefficients exceeded the traditional benchmark of 0.70 [38], ranging from 0.77 to 0.85 (Table 2).…”

“…The aims of the present study were twofold. The first aim was to investigate whether the six mood profile clusters described in the literature, referred to as the iceberg, inverse Everest, inverse iceberg, shark fin, submerged, and surface profiles [20,[23][24][25][26][27][28], would be identified among a sample of 1786 Greek adults using the recently validated BRUMS-Greek measure [7]. The second aim was to investigate the extent of differences between groups related to the sex, age, BMI, and exercise status of the participants in terms of the prevalence of specific mood profile clusters.…”

“…These findings suggest that, as a screening tool with potential use among large swathes of the Greek population, the BRUMS-Greek provides a rapid yet sensitive tool for screening mental ill-health risk. Vlachopoulos and colleagues provided a preliminary table of normative data for the BRUMS-Greek and a profile sheet for plotting the mood profile for individuals or groups [7]. However, to maximize the effectiveness of the measure, future research should seek to develop specific tables of normative data and associated profile sheets derived from various populations of interest.…”

“…Mood was assessed using the BRUMS-Greek [7], a 24-item scale comprising six subscales of four items each, measuring Anger, Confusion, Depression, Fatigue, Tension, and Vigor. Respondents indicated "How do you feel right now?"…”

“…Mental wellbeing is a particular challenge in Greece, which currently sits in the top six countries globally for depression rate [3] with an ingrained, albeit declining, prevalence of mental health stigma within Greek culture that discourages seeking professional help [4]. The development of simple methods of monitoring mental health status, including the recently translated version of the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) [5,6] into Greek [7], increases the options available for screening individuals and groups for mental health risk.…”