Reliability and validity of the Positive Mental Health Questionnaire in a sample of Spanish university students

Abstract

Introduction Nursing has a relevant role in managing mental health. It is important to identify and thereafter to enhance positive aspects of mental health among university nursing students. Aim The aim of the present study was to analyse the psychometric properties of the Positive Mental Health Questionnaire (PMHQ) in terms of reliability and validity using confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of university students. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 1091 students at 4 nursing schools in Catalonia, Spain. The reliability of the PMHQ was measured by means of Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and the test-retest stability was measured with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the validity of the factorial structure. Results Cronbach's alpha coefficient was satisfactory (>0.70) for four of the six subscales or dimensions and ranged from 0.54 to 0.79. ICC analysis was satisfactory for the six subscales or dimensions. The hypothesis was confirmed in the analysis of the correlations between subclasses and the overall scale, with the strongest correlations being found between the majority of the subscales and the overall scale. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model proposed for the factors fit the data satisfactorily. Discussion This scale is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating positive mental health in university students. Implications for Practice A good questionnaire to measure positive mental health in university students is useful not only to promote mental health but also to strengthen the curricula of future professionals.

Levels of Positive Mental Health in Portuguese and Spanish Nursing Students

“…The structure of the PMHQ is based on PMHMM's six dimensions: Personal Satisfaction-degree of satisfaction with skills, personal life, self-esteem, and optimistic future; Prosocial Attitude-reflects the perception of social interactions and the predisposition to engage in active and altruistic social attitudes, supporting and acceptance of others; Selfcontrol-the ability to cope with stress in conflict situations, emotional balance and control, tolerance to frustration, anxiety, and stress; Autonomy-reflects the self-regulation of one's behavior, independence, ability to have one's own standards, the sense of personal security/self-confidence, self-trust, and the ability to make decisions; Problem Solving and Self-Actualization-perception of the effectiveness of personal fulfilment, to have analytical and flexibility skills, ability to make decisions and to adapt, self-development, and attitude growth; Interpersonal Relationship Skills-ability to participate in interpersonal relationships, empathy, ability to understand others' feelings and to provide emotional support, and to establish and maintain close interpersonal relationships (Lluch-Canut, 2002, 2003. In a recent study with Spanish nursing students, the PMHQ showed good internal consistency (total Cronbach's α = .89; ranging between .63 and .79), and the thirty-day test-retest reliability was considered very good (.92) (Roldán-Merino et al, 2017). Also, the Portuguese version of PMHQ when validated in a nursing students sample showed very good internal consistency (total Cronbach's α = .92; range .60 to .84), a same six-factor structure, and good test-retest reliability (r = .98) in a 60-day interval (Sequeira et al, 2014).…”

“…Positive mental health (PMH) is described as the sense of feeling good and functioning well (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2009;Lehtinen, 2004) that defines how people think, feel, and act. PMH is also a positive determinant contributing to one's well-being or is viewed as a benefit and the ability to think and communicate with others; to recognize, understand, and interpret the different contexts; and to adapt and change them, if necessary (Lluch-Canut, 2002, 2003Roldán-Merino et al, 2017). Similarly, PMH expresses the ability to enjoy life, to master and adjust, and to promote autonomy and inclusion.…”

“…Similarly, PMH expresses the ability to enjoy life, to master and adjust, and to promote autonomy and inclusion. PMH has been identified to be a core contributor to individuals' positive functioning and psychological wellbeing, mainly for living a purposeful life, societal engagement, personal accomplishments, and developing abilities and skills by providing enlightenment and self-knowledge (Roldán-Merino et al, 2017;Ryiff, 2014;Vaingankar et al, 2011). Interest in investigating the influence of positive dimensions such as social inclusion, self-efficacy, and perceived self-control on the health status has also increased (Roldán-Merino et al, 2017;Sequeira et al, 2014;Vaingankar et al, 2011).…”

Psychometric properties and population norms of the positive mental health instrument in a representative multi-ethnic Asian population

“…The PMHQ was based on the Multifactor Model of positive mental health [ 22 ] that proposes ‘close inter-relationship between physical and mental health’ and the initial development of the tool was conducted in people with chronic physical health problems. Although it has since been validated in university professors and students in Europe [ 23 , 24 ], to the best of our knowledge, it has not been validated among the general population or different ethnic groups.…”

Development and validation of the Rapid Positive Mental Health Instrument (R-PMHI) for measuring mental health outcomes in the population

“…Several successful research and scientific efforts have since enriched our knowledge about mental health and resulted in the development of a wide array of measurement tools to assess different aspects of mental well-being and evaluate the impact of mental health interventions. The Positive and Negative Affect Scale [2], Satisfaction With Life Scale [3], Psychological Well-being Scales [4], Affectometer [5], Short Form (SF)-36 [6], WHO-Five Well-being Scale [7], Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) [8], Positive Mental Health Instrument (PMHI) [9] and the Positive Mental Health Questionnaire [10] are some of the measures used globally in the assessment of mental well-being.…”