Single item measures of self-rated mental health: a scoping review

Abstract

BackgroundA single-item measure of self-rated mental health (SRMH) is being used increasingly in health research and population health surveys. The item asks respondents to rate their mental health on a five-point scale from excellent to poor. This scoping study presents the first known review of the SRMH literature.MethodsElectronic databases of Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE and Cochrane Reviews were searched using keywords. The databases were also searched using the titles of surveys known to include the SRMH single item. The search was supplemented by manually searching the bibliographic sections of the included studies. Two independent reviewers coded articles for inclusion or exclusion based on whether articles included SRMH. Each study was coded by theme and data were extracted about study design, sample, variables, and results.ResultsFifty-seven studies included SRMH. SRMH correlated moderately with the following mental health scales: Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, mental health subscales of the Short-Form Health Status Survey, Behaviour and Symptom Identification Scale, and World Mental Health Clinical Diagnostic Interview Schedule. However, responses to this item may differ across racial and ethnic groups. Poor SRMH was associated with poor self-rated health, physical health problems, increased health service utilization and less likelihood of being satisfied with mental health services. Poor or fair SRMH was also associated with social determinants of health, such as low socioeconomic position, weak social connections and neighbourhood stressors. Synthesis of this literature provides important information about the relationships SRMH has with other variables.ConclusionsSRMH is associated with multi-item measures of mental health, self-rated health, health problems, service utilization, and service satisfaction. Given these relationships and its use in epidemiologic surveys, SRMH should continue to be assessed as a population health measure. More studies need to examine relationships between SRMH and clinical mental illnesses. Longitudinal analyses should look at whether SRMH is predictive of future mental health problems.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-398) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Self-perceived Mental Health Status and Uptake of Fecal Occult Blood Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…As discussed earlier, SPMH status and multi-items mental health screening scales (eg, K6, SF 12, PHQ-2) are associated but not interchangeable. 28 In its CCHS-Mental Health cycle 2012, Statistics Canada collected K6 data which was not associated with FOBT uptake. 35 While being male was an independent risk factor for CRC, 14,36 the current study findings suggest that men had slightly lower odds of screening compared to women in both crude and adjusted analyses.…”

“…Previous research has indicated that SPMH status is a "general indication of the number of people in the population suffering from some form of mental disorder, mental or emotional problems or distress, not necessarily reflected in self-perceived health, " and is associated with multiitems mental health scales such as K6 scale of psychological distress, mental health subscales of the SF-12 health status survey, and patient health questionnaire (PHQ-2) depression screener. 28 Self-reported health has also been shown to be highly correlated with overall health outcomes and can be considered to provide a valid measurement of mental health disorders. 29 Potential confounders included in the current analysis were age (5-year age groupings), gender (males vs. females), level of education completed (less than secondary education, secondary education, completion or vs. some/completed post-secondary education), race (White vs. non-White), and immigration status (yes vs. no).…”

Demographic and Socioeconomic Determinants of Physical and Mental Self-rated Health Across 10 Ethnic Groups in the United States

“…[1][2][3][4][5] Following recommendation by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), single-item measures of SRH are being used as a tool to monitor the health of the US population. [6][7][8] Singleitem physical and mental SRH 9 predict a wide range of health outcomes, such as utilization of health care, 10,11 development of chronic medical conditions, 1,2,12-14 and mortality. 15 Perceived poor health (poor SRH) prompts a complex cognitive process that is required for health care utilization.…”

Is a Single-Item Measure of Self-Rated Mental Health Useful from a Clinimetric Perspective?

“…Evidence of measurement soundness and clinical usefulness has been provided for single-item global ratings of a number of complex phenomena, including physical and mental health [5]. Specifically, a single item of perceived mental health rated on a 5-point scale was shown to be associated with multiple-item scales of mental health, physical health problems, and health service utilization [5].…”