Validation of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form and the dual continua model of well-being and psychopathology in an adult mental health setting

OBJECTIVE: The growing evidence for the dual continua model of psychopathology and well-being has important implications for measuring outcomes in mental health care. The aim of the current study is to validate a measure of well-being as well as the dual continua model in adults with mood, anxiety, personality, and developmental disorders. METHODS: 472 adult psychiatric outpatients filled out the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) and the Outcome Questionnaire before start of treatment. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) confirmed the three-factor structure of emotional, psychological, and social well-being of the MHC-SF. The dual continua model had the best fit in the complete sample and the different diagnostic groups. CONCLUSION: The MHC-SF is a reliable and valid instrument to measure well-being in the psychiatric population. Although relatively high correlations between psychopathology and well-being exist, the results underline the importance to measure well-being in addition to psychopathology in mental health care