Psychometric evaluation of the mental health continuum – short form in Swedish adolescents

Abstract

The Mental Health Continuum – Short form (MHC-SF) is a self-report measure that has been increasingly used to monitor mental well-being at the population level. The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the psychometric properties of the MHC-SF in a population of Swedish adolescents. First, the evaluation was performed by examining face validity and test–retest reliability obtained in a pre-study. Then using data from the Survey of Adolescent Life in Vestmanland 2020 (n = 3880) we performed confirmatory factor analysis on different factor structures based on theory and previous research. Model-based estimates were calculated for assessing the internal reliability of the factor structure with the best fit. Convergent validity was assessed by bivariate as well as model-based correlations, and test–retest reliability was evaluated by intra-class correlation coefficients. The results show that the MHC-SF is best described with a bifactor model consisting of a dominant general well-being factor and three specific group factors of emotional, social and psychological well-being. Its overall reliability was high to very high, while the reliability of its subscales was low. A practical implication of the latter is that the subcales should not be used on their own because they are more likely to reliably measure the general well-being factor than the specific group factors. Test–retest reliability of the total scale was acceptable, and convergent validity was supported. In conclusion, we consider the Swedish MHC-SF to be a psychometrically sound instrument for monitoring overall mental well-being in Swedish adolescents.

Resilience and well-being among persons with spinal cord injury/disorders.

“…The total score (ranging from 0 to 84) was calculated by summing the responses to each item. The total score appears to be good indicator of general well-being (Södervist & Larm, 2023). The internal consistency coefficient was acceptable (α = .92).…”

Heterogeneity Among Moderate Mental Health Students on the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF)

“…The MHC–SF asks students to self-report the frequency of past-month experiences on a six-point response scale (1 = never , 2 = once or twice , 3 = about once a week , 4 = two or three times a week, 5 = almost every day, and 6 = every day) . The scale has shown acceptable internal consistency and discriminant reliability among adolescents and adults across countries (e.g., Joshanloo, 2019 ; Söderqvist & Larm, 2021 ; Zemojtel‐Piotrowska et al, 2018 ). The Omega values of the internal reliability of EWB, SWB, and PWB subscales for the present sample were 0.88, 0.90, and 0.91, respectively.…”

Mental health status according to the dual-factor model in Swedish adolescents: A cross sectional study highlighting associations with stress, resilience, social status and gender

“…The MHC-SF has demonstrated sufficient psychometric properties in both international and Swedish research on adolescents [42][43][44]. In the current study, the internal consistency reliability for the total scale estimated by Cronbach's alpha was 0.91.…”