Mental Health Continuum – Short Form

What it measures

Operationalises Keyes' dual continuum model — the idea that mental health (flourishing vs. languishing) is conceptually distinct from mental illness. Three components cover hedonic wellbeing, social wellbeing, and eudaimonic psychological functioning. Enables categorisation into flourishing, languishing, or moderate mental health.

Response format

Likert (0–5, never to every day) over the past month

Representative items

• How often did you feel happy? (Emotional WB)
• How often did you feel that you belonged to a community? (Social WB)
• How often did you feel that you had experiences that challenged you to grow? (Psychological WB)
• How often did you feel that your life had a sense of direction or meaning? (Psychological WB)
• How often did you feel interested in life? (Emotional WB)

Usage notes & scoring

Freely available from Corey Keyes. Three subscale scores and a total. Categorical flourishing/languishing/moderate classifications can be derived using published algorithms. Validated in 40+ countries. Pairs with PHQ-9 / GAD-7 to capture both the positive and negative continua of mental health.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Keyes, C.L.M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43(2), 207–222.

Keywords